PRINCIPAL, TECHNOLOGY ENGINEERING

Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep‑tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V‑BAT and X‑BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With offices and facilities across the U.Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia‑Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. Visit Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

The Chief Engineer at Shield AI is responsible for solving complex technical challenges in deploying advanced autonomy solutions on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).

As the chief authority on system architecture, design, development, risk mitigation, and product quality the Chief Engineer ensures the successful integration of Hivemind Autonomy across a range of aircraft, from small UAS to large autonomous collaborative platforms.

This role is part of the Hivemind Solutions organization and leads a team of engineers to deliver cutting‑edge autonomous capabilities for business‑to‑business and defense contracts. The ideal candidate has defense industry experience as a Chief Engineer and a proven track record of leading technical teams to develop and deploy autonomous systems.

Serve as the Chief Engineer on Shield AI projects focused on developing and deploying autonomy solutions for unmanned aircraft

Define and assign technical objectives, make key engineering decisions, and ensure the quality and completeness of all technical deliverables

BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering, and/or similar degree

10+ years of industry experience in autonomy and/or UAS platforms (e.g., defense tech, self‑driving car, etc.)

7+ years of delivering software into production/certifiable environments with high‑reliability

Understanding of guidance, control and navigation (GNC) (e.g. controls, estimation, planning)

controls, estimation, perception, planning, etc.)

Understanding of software development processes and how to effectively deploy software

Demonstrate problem solving skills by applying a scientific technical approach

Customer‑facing engineering leader supporting both defense and internally funded development programs

Contribute to government contract proposal writing

Full‑time regular employee offer package: Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity

Temporary employee offer package: Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)

Military fellows and part‑time employees are not eligible for benefits. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.

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