Workplace
On-site
Employment
Full-Time
Published
Jul 21, 2026
Closes
No date supplied
The role
Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
Requirements
What You'll Do:: Develop & Field Autonomy – Develop and integrate autonomy software for V-BAT and X-BAT, including mission behaviors, platform-specific control, payload and sensor integration (e.g., ViDAR, EO/IR), multi-agent coordination, contingencies, and executive autonomy. Own major features from software-in-the-loop through live flight testing. Aircraft Team Partnership – Collaborate closely with the Aircraft team to integrate autonomy capabilities, validate platform interfaces, coordinate hardware/software compatibility, and support release readiness. Collaboration Across Teams & Partners – Partner with the Autonomy Capabilities, Perception, GCS, Strategic Systems (ACP), feature crews, and customer stakeholders to deliver integrated mission capabilities. Technical Leadership – Own significant features or subsystems, drive technical execution, mentor teammates, and contribute to design reviews and integration planning. Pre-deployment Preparation – Build, configure, validate, and prepare mission-ready systems while ensuring software, hardware, and operator workflows are ready for deployment. On-site Test & Mission Support – Support flight tests, customer demonstrations, operator training, and deployment events through system bring-up, troubleshooting, and mission execution. Hardware/Software Debugging – Diagnose integration issues across autonomy software, payload computers, embedded systems, and platform interfaces using simulation and operational testing. Mission Data & Continuous Improvement – Analyze mission data, drive root-cause analysis, and build tools and processes that improve integration efficiency and mission reliability. C2 Interoperability & Standards – Implement and validate interfaces with GCS and command-and-control systems while supporting compliance with STANAG 4586, UCI, and OMS. Travel Requirement – Members of this team typically travel around 10–20% of the year to different office locations, customer sites, operator training events, flight