The VBAT Software team is a motivated group of engineers focused on developing complex avionics software that merges hardware, operating systems and applications for cutting-edge Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). Embedded Software engineers work with customer programs, electrical engineers, Guidance, Navigation and Controls (GNC) engineers, systems engineers, test engineers and the autonomy team to design and develop software systems which utilize modern aerospace sensors, state-of-the-art UAV avionics, and groundbreaking Artificial Intelligence applications.
As a member of the VBAT Software team, you will develop and maintain software architectures, generate and maintain all levels of software requirements, document and present software designs, coordinate software development, and marshal the entire suite of VBAT software through test and verification, release, and deployment to production and customers.
What you'll do:
- Develop high-quality C/C++ code tailored specifically for V-Bat aircraft, ensuring optimal performance, reliability, and safety.
- Refine repository of existing firmware to support new hardware, features, and capabilities
- Integrate real-time operating system onto custom System-On-a-Module (SOM)
- Develop firmware to control robotic vehicles in flight
- Convert legacy bare-metal software to a RTOS based system
- Create new CI/CD pipelines with automated testing for embedded systems
- Participate in architecture, design, and code reviews
- Integrate software from multiple departments to include firmware, software test and verification, Autonomy AI, and Ground Control Stations (GCS)
- Develop software systems to implement and integrate interfaces to modern avionics sensors, sub-systems, and payloads
- Facilitate the design process for updates to the software system architecture
- Use modern software development tools and processes to capture our existing architecture and design future architectures
- Collaborating to define and extend systems engineering processes
- Report status, risks, accomplishments, expectations to senior leadership
- Work with the V-Bat production teams to manufacture UAVs in-house.
- Design and implement systems capable of conducting tests across various environments, including virtualized hardware and hardware-in-the-loop simulations, to facilitate thorough evaluation of software functionality and performance.
- Develop innovative tools to enhance the frequency and reliability of software deployment, test execution, and data analysis within a continuous integration and release system, fostering improved efficiency and productivity in software development workflows.
- Create prototypes to validate critical design concepts and assess technical limitations, providing tangible evidence of feasibility and informing decision-making processes.
Required qualifications:
- Rock-solid software development experience in C/C++
- Experience in bare-metal firmware development for embedded systems
- Linux Kernel or RTOS development - device trees and bring up on new hardware
- Familiarity with writing thread-safe multi-threaded programs
- Demonstrated track record of assuming ownership over development processes and features and delivering outstanding outcomes
- Proven track record of successfully shipping products, showcasing the ability to navigate through development cycles, overcome obstacles, and deliver high-quality solutions to meet project deadlines and exceed client expectations in a fast-paced environment
- Proactively identify opportunities for improvement within software development projects, demonstrating initiative to propose and implement innovative solutions that enhance efficiency, quality, and overall project success and V-Bat reliability
- B.S., M.S, PhD degree in Systems Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Science or STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics) discipline, such as Aerospace, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience working on cutting-edge autonomous robotic systems including motor control
- Proven background in thriving within fast-paced environments, particularly within startup or R&D settings
- Demonstrated adaptability, agility, and the ability to innovate under pressure to meet dynamic project demands and drive successful outcomes.
Skills Required
- Software development experience in C and C++
- Bare-metal firmware development experience for embedded systems
- Linux Kernel or RTOS development, including device trees and bring-up on new hardware
- Familiarity with writing thread-safe, multi-threaded programs
- Track record of owning development processes and features and delivering outcomes
- Track record of successfully shipping products and delivering high-quality solutions under deadlines
- Ability to identify and implement improvements to software development projects
- Bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD degree in Systems Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Science, or a STEM discipline
- Experience with autonomous robotic systems, including motor control
- Experience in startup or R&D environments
- Adaptability, agility, and ability to innovate under pressure
What the Team is Saying
Shield AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage is described as excellent, with dental/vision and mental‑health support, and ancillary protections like life and disability appearing in benefit summaries. The breadth and perceived affordability of coverage are highlighted as a standout component of the package.
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Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave is featured alongside enhanced maternity benefits, fertility and childcare support, and onsite resources such as a Mother’s Room. These elements are positioned as competitive and above the minimal baseline for the company’s stage.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity is granted to all full‑time hires, with RSUs, double‑trigger tax timing, and tools to model scenarios (e.g., through Carta Tax). Communications also reference a transition from options to RSUs, reinforcing access and maturity of ownership programs.
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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Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
