Shield AI’s mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. We are seeking a UAS Operator & Flight Operations Technician to support autonomous aircraft testing, demonstrations, and flight operations in Ukraine.
This is a highly hands-on, field-focused role supporting fixed-wing and multirotor unmanned aircraft systems in simulation, ground testing, and live flight environments. The ideal candidate is comfortable operating in dynamic field conditions, troubleshooting hardware and operational issues, and supporting autonomous flight testing activities with a strong safety mindset.
This role will primarily support operations in the Lviv region, with occasional travel to other locations within Ukraine for demonstrations, testing, and operational support activities.
What you'll do:
- Operate fixed-wing and multirotor unmanned aircraft systems in test and operational environments
- Serve as a safety pilot for experimental and autonomous aircraft systems, including manual recovery of aircraft when required
- Support execution of simulation, SIL, HIL, VIL, ground testing, and live flight test activities
- Operate Ground Control Stations (GCS) and associated mission systems
- Support pre-flight setup, aircraft inspections, launch and recovery operations, and post-flight activities
- Configure, setup, transport, and maintain aircraft, support equipment, batteries, radios, networking equipment, and operational infrastructure
- Troubleshoot and repair aircraft systems and field support equipment
- Transport equipment and personnel to test and demonstration sites
- Create and maintain operational checklists, packing lists, maintenance logs, and flight documentation
- Support demonstration events and customer flight operations
- Work closely with engineering and flight test teams to support safe and effective field operations
- Ensure operations comply with local airspace requirements, operational procedures, and applicable Ukrainian UAS regulations
Required qualifications:
- 3+ years of experience operating unmanned aircraft systems in field, test, or operational environments
- Experience operating both fixed-wing and multirotor UAS platforms
- Experience supporting Group 1 and Group 2 UAS operations, approximately up to 55 lbs / 25 kg
- Strong understanding of flight safety procedures and emergency recovery operations
- Experience supporting flight tests, demonstrations, or operational field exercises
- Familiarity with Ground Control Stations, telemetry systems, radios, and mission support equipment
- Experience supporting SIL, HIL, VIL, or related test environments
- Ability to troubleshoot and repair aircraft and support equipment in the field
- Strong organizational skills and attention to operational detail
- Familiarity with Ukrainian airspace requirements and operational procedures for UAS operations
- Valid driver’s license and ability to transport equipment and personnel to operational sites
- Ability to travel within Ukraine as required
- Ability to obtain and maintain any required Ukrainian remote pilot or UAS operational certifications
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience supporting autonomous aircraft or experimental flight testing
- Background in military, defense, robotics, or aerospace operations
- Experience with PX4, ArduPilot, or similar flight control systems
- Experience with RF communications, datalinks, and networking systems
- Mechanical or electrical maintenance experience on unmanned aircraft systems
- Experience operating in austere or rapidly changing field environments
- Familiarity with BVLOS operations and operational risk management
- Ukrainian and English language proficiency
- Prior experience supporting defense or tactical UAS operations
Skills Required
- 3+ years operating unmanned aircraft systems in field, test, or operational environments
- Experience operating both fixed-wing and multirotor UAS platforms
- Experience supporting Group 1 and Group 2 UAS operations (up to ~25 kg / 55 lbs)
- Strong understanding of flight safety procedures and emergency recovery operations
- Experience supporting flight tests, demonstrations, or operational field exercises
- Familiarity with Ground Control Stations, telemetry systems, radios, and mission support equipment
- Experience supporting SIL, HIL, VIL, or related test environments
- Ability to troubleshoot and repair aircraft and support equipment in the field
- Strong organizational skills and attention to operational detail
- Familiarity with Ukrainian airspace requirements and operational procedures for UAS operations
- Valid driver's license and ability to transport equipment and personnel to operational sites
- Ability to travel within Ukraine as required
- Ability to obtain and maintain any required Ukrainian remote pilot or UAS operational certifications
- Experience supporting autonomous aircraft or experimental flight testing
- Background in military, defense, robotics, or aerospace operations
- Experience with PX4, ArduPilot, or similar flight control systems
- Experience with RF communications, datalinks, and networking systems
- Mechanical or electrical maintenance experience on unmanned aircraft systems
- Experience operating in austere or rapidly changing field environments
- Familiarity with BVLOS operations and operational risk management
- Ukrainian and English language proficiency
- Prior experience supporting defense or tactical UAS operations
What the Team is Saying
Shield AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage includes medical, dental, vision, and mental-health support, with company materials describing excellent coverage. Feedback suggests these offerings are comprehensive and consistently highlighted across official and third-party benefit lists.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity is granted to all full-time hires, with RSU structures and tools like Carta Tax intended to improve understanding and tax timing. Feedback suggests this broad-based ownership approach is a notable component of total rewards.
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Parental & Family Support — Benefits include paid parental leave, fertility support, childcare benefits, family medical leave, and onsite resources such as a Mother's Room. Feedback suggests the family-oriented offerings are more expansive than basic coverage.
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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