Software Engineers are part of the development team responsible for developing and supporting software products for research projects and for commercial release. Software Engineers report to the Director of Engineering.
What you'll do:
- Complete software development tasks, including writing new software code, primarily supporting Mission System and Support tools, and fixing bugs, as directed by the Director of Engineering.
- Complete tasks to an agreed schedule, and to recognise any likely delays or failures early and communicate them immediately to the Director of Engineering.
- Participate in ad-hoc discussions with other developers to assist in generating ideas, solving bugs and designing software applications.
Required qualifications:
- Tertiary qualifications in Computer Science or Software Engineering, or equivalent overseas qualification (such as NZCE).
- Top academic achiever (i.e. minimum Distinction average) or demonstrated relevant previous experience
- Strong analytic/problem solving skills
- Ability to solve complex problems individually, or as part of a team, depending on project requirements.
- Reliable and able to work to a schedule.
- Experienced in designing and implementing new software modules and maintaining/updating existing source code while adhering to company standards.
- Strong C++, JavaScript and ReactJs Development skills
- Strong verbal and written communication skills to communicate complex ideas (eg. to customers or in technical reports.)
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience with GIS mapping services (e.g. OpenStreetMaps, ArcGIS, or GeoServer) and interactive map libraries (e.g. Leaflet).
- Experience with video processing libraries (e.g. FFmpeg or GStreamer)
- Experience with frontend UI/UX design
Skills Required
- Tertiary qualification in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or equivalent overseas qualification
- Top academic achievement with a minimum Distinction average, or demonstrated relevant previous experience
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Ability to solve complex problems independently and collaboratively
- Reliability and ability to work to schedule
- Experience designing and implementing software modules and maintaining existing source code
- Strong C++ development skills
- Strong JavaScript development skills
- Strong ReactJS development skills
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Experience with GIS mapping services such as OpenStreetMap, ArcGIS, or GeoServer
- Experience with video processing libraries such as FFmpeg or GStreamer
- Experience with frontend UI/UX design
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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Shield AI Teams
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Shield AI Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
