As a Staff Software Engineer on the Enterprise Software Engineering team, you will design and build the applications, services, and integrations that keep Shield AI's business running – connecting the systems our engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and finance teams depend on every day. You will work primarily in C#/.NET with React on the frontend, building distributed, message-driven systems in the cloud and bringing AI capabilities into the tools our people use.
This is a hands-on, senior engineering role, where you will drive solutions from requirements, system design through deployment and support – sometimes leading a project, and at other times working closely with your teammates on a shared codebase. We move fast, so we are looking for someone who learns quickly, hits the ground running, and is comfortable making sound decisions with incomplete information.
What you'll do:
- Design, build, and maintain enterprise applications, APIs, and services using C#/.NET and React, with Python where it is the right tool for the job.
- Architect and implement distributed, event-driven systems using message brokers (e.g., RabbitMQ, Kafka, Azure Service Bus, MQTT) and service frameworks such as NServiceBus or MassTransit.
- Build reliable integrations between enterprise systems (e.g., PLM, ERP, identity, and engineering platforms), handling long-running workflows, retries, and failure recovery.
- Apply proven system design patterns – such as Saga/process managers, outbox, CQRS, and idempotent consumers – to deliver scalable, resilient, maintainable solutions.
- Design and integrate AI capabilities into applications, such as LLM-powered features, agents, and intelligent automation.
- Use AI-assisted development tools to accelerate delivery while maintaining high standards for code quality, security, and review.
- Deploy and operate services in Azure and/or AWS for our team and other teams across the business, applying sound practices for security, networking, identity, reliability, and cost.
- Use existing CI/CD and developer platforms (GitLab, Azure DevOps, GitHub, Artifactory, SonarQube) to build, test, and ship software; contribute pipeline changes as your projects require.
- Instrument services for observability and troubleshoot asynchronous and distributed processes in production.
- Collaborate closely with fellow Staff engineers – contributing to design reviews, code reviews, and the team's engineering standards – and lead projects when the work calls for it.
- Partner with stakeholders across the business to understand problems, shape requirements, and deliver solutions with measurable impact.
Required qualifications:
- Typically requires a minimum of 7+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field; or equivalent practical experience.
- Deep expertise in C# and .NET (.NET 6+ / ASP.NET Core, an open-source web development framework | .NET Core), including building RESTful APIs, background services, and Entity Framework or similar data access.
- Professional experience building frontends with React (TypeScript preferred).
- Hands-on experience with messaging and event-driven architecture using RabbitMQ, Kafka, MQTT, Azure Service Bus, or similar technologies, including an understanding of delivery guarantees, ordering, retries, and dead-letter handling.
- Strong knowledge/experience in architecting and using Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) tools
- Strong understanding of system design and architectural patterns, including distributed systems, microservices vs. modular monoliths, eventual consistency, and resiliency patterns.
- Cloud experience is a must – preferably Azure or AWS. Solid grasp of core cloud concepts at an associate-certification level (e.g., AZ-204, AZ-104, AWS Solutions Architect – Associate, AWS Developer – Associate), including security, networking, identity and access management (IAM/RBAC), compute, storage, and managed services.
- Working knowledge of CI/CD and deployment practices – comfortable building, deploying, and troubleshooting applications through pipelines, though platform administration is not a primary responsibility.
- Experience with relational databases (e.g., SQL Server, PostgreSQL), including data modeling and query performance.
- Strong experience with AI coding tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude Code, or similar) and practical judgment about how to use them effectively and safely.
- Strong testing discipline, including unit, integration, and end-to-end testing.
- Thrives in a fast-paced environment – learns new domains and technologies quickly and delivers value early.
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to explain technical trade-offs to both engineers and non-technical stakeholders.
- Demonstrated commitment to ownership, continuous improvement, and being a reliable, respectful team member.
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience implementing the Saga pattern (orchestration and/or choreography) for long-running business processes.
- Experience with NServiceBus and the Particular Service Platform (ServicePulse, ServiceInsight, ServiceControl), or comparable tools for monitoring and troubleshooting asynchronous, message-based systems.
- Proficiency in Python for services, scripting, data processing, or AI/ML workloads.
- Active Azure or AWS certification (associate level or higher).
- Experience with containers and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes, Azure Container Apps, AKS/EKS) and infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, Bicep).
- Experience with observability tooling (OpenTelemetry, Application Insights, Grafana, Datadog, or similar).
- Experience integrating with enterprise identity platforms (Microsoft Entra ID, OAuth 2.0/OpenID Connect, SSO, RBAC).
- Experience integrating enterprise business systems such as PLM (e.g., Teamcenter, Arena), ERP (e.g., Costpoint), or similar.
- Experience developing software in a DoD, defense, or government contractor environment, including Azure Government or AWS GovCloud.
- Familiarity with secure software development practices and frameworks such as NIST 800-218 (SSDF).
- Experience working as a peer on a small senior team, sharing a codebase and alternating between leading and contributing to projects.
Skills Required
- At least 7 years of professional software engineering experience, plus a bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
- Deep expertise in C# and .NET 6+ / ASP.NET Core, including RESTful APIs, background services, and Entity Framework or comparable data access.
- Professional frontend development experience with React; TypeScript preferred.
- Hands-on experience with messaging and event-driven architecture using RabbitMQ, Kafka, MQTT, Azure Service Bus, or similar technologies.
- Strong knowledge and experience architecting and using Integration Platform as a Service tools.
- Strong understanding of distributed systems, microservices, modular monoliths, eventual consistency, and resiliency patterns.
- Cloud experience with Azure or AWS, including security, networking, identity and access management, compute, storage, and managed services.
- Working knowledge of CI/CD and deployment practices.
- Experience with relational databases such as SQL Server or PostgreSQL, including data modeling and query performance.
- Strong experience with AI coding tools such as GitHub Copilot, Cursor, or Claude Code, with sound judgment about safe and effective use.
- Strong unit, integration, and end-to-end testing discipline.
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Commitment to ownership, continuous improvement, and reliable, respectful teamwork.
- Experience implementing the Saga pattern for long-running business processes.
- Experience with NServiceBus and the Particular Service Platform, or comparable asynchronous messaging tools.
- Proficiency in Python for services, scripting, data processing, or AI/ML workloads.
- Active Azure or AWS certification at associate level or higher.
- Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, Azure Container Apps, AKS/EKS, Terraform, or Bicep.
- Experience with observability tools such as OpenTelemetry, Application Insights, Grafana, or Datadog.
- Experience integrating enterprise identity platforms including Microsoft Entra ID, OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, SSO, or RBAC.
- Experience integrating PLM, ERP, or similar enterprise business systems.
- Experience developing software in a DoD, defense, or government contractor environment, including Azure Government or AWS GovCloud.
- Familiarity with secure software development practices such as NIST 800-218 SSDF.
- Experience working as a peer on a small senior team, alternating between leading and contributing to projects.
What the Team is Saying
Shield AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Company materials highlight comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with mental-health support and an EAP. Third-party benefits summaries also portray health coverage as a strong component of the package.
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Retirement Support — Offerings include a 401(k) with employer matching, cited on the careers page and independent benefits directories. Multiple sources indicate a match exists, though exact formulas have varied over time and warrant confirmation.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Company communications describe equity for all full-time hires and stock benefits as part of total rewards. Independent listings also note company equity/RSUs as a standard element.
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.
