About the Role
Applications: Build a new feature or internal tool (web, mobile, or desktop) that streamlines a mission-planning or fleet-management workflow.
Firmware/Embedded: Develop and debug embedded C/C++ code for a flight controller or sensor module, including bring-up and hardware-in-the-loop testing.
Machine Learning: Train, evaluate, and integrate a perception or decision-making model (e.g., object detection, sensor fusion) into an autonomy pipeline.
Systems Development: Extend a platform tool, API, or data pipeline that supports autonomy software, simulation, or cloud infrastructure.
Example Intern Projects
Required Qualifications
Currently pursuing a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field
Proficiency in at least one modern programming language (e.g., C, C++, Python, Java, or JavaScript)
Solid foundation in data structures, algorithms, and software design principles
Experience writing, testing, and debugging code, whether through coursework, personal projects, or prior internships
Familiarity with version control (e.g., Git) and collaborative development workflows
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to break down ambiguous requirements into working code
Effective written and verbal communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively in a team environment
Preferred Qualifications
Exposure to mobile or web application frameworks and full-stack development
Hands-on experience with embedded systems, microcontrollers, real-time operating systems, or assembly-level debugging
Coursework or projects involving machine learning, statistics, probability theory, or deep learning frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow)
Experience with cloud platforms, databases, networking, or distributed systems
Familiarity with Agile/Scrum development methodologies
Prior internship, research, or club/competition experience in robotics, autonomy, or aerospace applications
Interest in or exposure to the defense, aerospace, or autonomous systems industry
Skills Required
- Currently pursuing a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field
- Proficiency in at least one modern programming language, such as C, C++, Python, Java, or JavaScript
- Solid foundation in data structures, algorithms, and software design principles
- Experience writing, testing, and debugging code through coursework, personal projects, or prior internships
- Familiarity with version control, such as Git, and collaborative development workflows
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Effective written and verbal communication skills and ability to collaborate in a team environment
- Exposure to mobile or web application frameworks and full-stack development
- Hands-on experience with embedded systems, microcontrollers, real-time operating systems, or assembly-level debugging
- Coursework or projects involving machine learning, statistics, probability theory, or deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow
- Experience with cloud platforms, databases, networking, or distributed systems
- Familiarity with Agile or Scrum development methodologies
- Prior internship, research, or club or competition experience in robotics, autonomy, or aerospace applications
- Interest in or exposure to the defense, aerospace, or autonomous systems industry
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.
