As a DevOps Build Engineer, you will own and maintain the build system for our autonomous aircraft (XBAT/VBAT). This role is primarily focused on Developer Experience (DevEx) and bringing DevOps best practices to our software engineers to accelerate their development cycles.
What you'll do:
- Be the expert on our native (C++) software build process.
- Improve developer velocity by reducing build/test cycle time and eliminating pipeline bottlenecks.
- Collaborate with Software Engineers to understand their requirements, propose designs, and implement identified solutions.
- Partner with developers to resolve build/test failures quickly and set best practices for integration.
- Integrate CI pipelines with HIL and simulation environments for automated validation.
- Implement monitoring, dashboards, and alerts related to build system performance for both local development and CI workflows.
- Use agentic solutions to aid in quickly identifying root cause around build failures and getting the appropriate feedback to a Software Engineer.
Required qualifications:
- BS in CS, CE, EE, or related field with 7+ years industry experience (or MS/PhD with 5+ years).
- Deep CMake/C++ expertise or equivalent.
- Strong understanding of dependency management and proficiency with either Conan or CPM.
- Proficiency with containers and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes, cloud build clusters).
- Strong scripting skills (Python, Bash).
- Hands-on experience integrating automated testing into CI pipelines.
- Demonstrated success improving developer productivity at scale.
- Demonstrated track record of excellence as a primary contributor on projects - showcasing the ability to navigate through development cycles, overcome obstacles, and deliver high-quality solutions in a fast-paced environment
- Proficiency with CICD tools (Azure DevOps, Jenkins, Gitlab).
- Cloud Operations experience (Azure, AWS, GCP).
- Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, Ansible) and monitoring (Grafana, Prometheus).
- Background in robotics, autonomy, or aerospace systems.
Skills Required
- BS in CS, CE, EE, or related field with 7+ years industry experience (or MS/PhD with 5+ years).
- Deep CMake/C++ expertise (or equivalent).
- Strong understanding of dependency management and proficiency with either Conan or CPM.
- Proficiency with containers and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes, cloud build clusters).
- Strong scripting skills (Python, Bash).
- Hands-on experience integrating automated testing into CI pipelines.
- Demonstrated success improving developer productivity at scale.
- Demonstrated track record as a primary contributor delivering high-quality solutions in fast-paced environments.
- Proficiency with CI/CD tools (Azure DevOps, Jenkins, GitLab).
- Cloud operations experience (Azure, AWS, GCP).
- Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, Ansible) and monitoring (Grafana, Prometheus).
- Background in robotics, autonomy, or aerospace systems.
What the Team is Saying
Shield AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Company materials describe excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage alongside a mental‑health EAP. Site perks such as an onsite gym in DC and a gym discount in San Diego support a health‑focused offering.
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Retirement Support — Careers materials highlight a 401(k) with company match as part of the standard package. A Total Rewards overview emphasizes retirement features within a broader, transparent compensation view.
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Career-Linked Recognition & Rewards — Compensation for in‑demand technical and senior go‑to‑market roles is described as competitive, with visible engineering ranges and top‑end packages. This points to meaningful upside tied to role, level, and scarce skills.
Shield AI Insights
What We Do
At Shield AI, you won't wait years to see your work reach the field. You'll build hardware and software that operates in the real world right now, in the hands of the people who depend on it. Hivemind, our AI pilot, has been flying since 2018. It has flown more than 30 platforms, including an F-16, and it now sits under a U.S. Air Force production contract for Collaborative Combat Aircraft. When you write code or shape a system here, you contribute to technology with a proven flight record and a clear production future. V-BAT flies intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions with an operational record that stretches from Ukraine to the Indo-Pacific. It delivers eyes where they matter most, in the most demanding conditions on earth. The teams behind it watch their work get tested where the stakes are real. X-BAT takes its first flight this year. It's an AI-piloted fighter that needs no runway, built to operate where traditional aircraft can't. Join now and you help shape a program at its earliest, most formative stage. That's the kind of ground-floor work that defines a career. Do the most impactful work of your life, on problems that matter. Autonomy at this level asks a lot of you. You'll take on problems in perception, planning, and control that few teams anywhere are equipped to solve. You'll work across disciplines, from aerospace and robotics to machine learning and systems engineering, alongside people who hold themselves to an exacting standard and expect the same from you. Our mission is clear: protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. That purpose runs through every decision, every design review, and every deployment. It's why the work here carries a weight you can feel. Ready to join our mission? Explore our open roles and find where you fit.
Why Work With Us
Founded in 2015 by a former Navy SEAL, Shield AI builds AI pilots and uncrewed aircraft. Veterans aren't an afterthought here, they're at every level. It's why the work carries weight: AI pilots and uncrewed aircraft flying real missions, from Ukraine to the Indo-Pacific, protecting service members and civilians.
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Shield AI Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
