Six different teams and opportunities you could work for:
- Deployed Operations – AVOs support DoD and foreign customers in an operational capacity during maritime and land-based OCONUS deployments.
- Instructor – AVOs develop and teach programs of instruction based on an institutional and operational knowledge of the V-Bat system and air vehicle operations.
- Training/Standardization and Evaluation - AVOs assigned to Training, Standardization, and Evaluation are responsible for developing and delivering Programs of Instruction (POIs) for the V-BAT system to both internal and external customers. They serve as subject matter experts (SMEs), providing high-quality instruction and ensuring operators are trained to the highest standards of safety, proficiency, and mission effectiveness. In this role, AVOs establish, maintain, and enforce standardization across V-BAT flight operations, ensuring consistency in procedures, evaluations, and best practices. They also conduct evaluations and provide actionable feedback to uphold operational excellence and safe, effective flight operations.
- Demo/Business Development – AVOs perform flight demonstrations for potential customers in both CONUS and OCONUS locations.
- Production Flight Testing – AVOs test newly produced V-Bat systems and rely on pilot and maintenance skills to ensure quality control and fleet readiness.
- Engineering Research & Development – AVOs perform research and development flights and push the boundaries of innovation in the unmanned air vehicle space.
- Support SME – The UAS Support SME will delight customers (internal and external) by providing advanced (L2) troubleshooting and support for issues encountered in the field. In addition to serving as link between our engineers and our customers, this role will assist in documenting and developing a robust knowledge base including troubleshooting guides, system FAQs, and training support materials.
- Experimental Flight Testing/R&D – Operators will collaborate with engineering teams to execute integration, ground tests, and flight tests, ensuring seamless interactions between various components and systems of the V-Bat UAV platform. They will provide regular and insightful feedback to flight test engineers, flight control engineers, propulsion engineers, ground control station development engineers, technical directors, and product managers. Your inputs will be crucial in refining and enhancing the platform's performance. This role will also contribute to the development of comprehensive training materials, Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and technical documentation. Lastly, you will actively participate in brainstorming sessions and discussions on improvements, optimizations, and innovations for the V-Bat platform. Your insights will contribute to its growth and evolution and help pave the way for the effective utilization and maintenance of current and future variants of the V-Bat system.
Required Qualifications
- Ability to work independently and lead in a small team environment, often in austere locations, while delighting the customer
- Ability to pass background check and drug screening in accordance with company policy
- Ability to pass medical and dental screenings as required by customers
- Ability to possess a Secret DoD security clearance as required by customers
Desired Qualifications:
- Prior experience with other manned or unmanned systems
- Prior military service with overseas assignments
- Maritime/shipboard UAS experience
- FAA Ratings (Part 107/Private Pilot/Commercial/Instrument/CFI)
- A&P certified
Skills Required
- Willingness to become proficient in V-BAT specific AVO skills
- Ability to work independently and lead in a small team environment, often in austere locations
- Ability to pass background check and drug screening in accordance with company policy
- Ability to pass medical and dental screenings as required by customers
- Ability to possess a Secret DoD security clearance as required by customers
- Prior experience with other manned or unmanned systems
- Prior military service with overseas assignments
- Maritime/shipboard UAS experience
- FAA Ratings (Part 107, Private Pilot, Commercial, Instrument, CFI)
- A&P certification
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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Shield AI Teams
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Shield AI Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
