Manager, Frontend Engineering

Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent, autonomous systems. Its products include Hivemind Enterprise—EdgeOS, Pilot, Commander, and Forge—as well as V-BAT and Sentient Vision Systems (wide-area motion imaging software). With offices in San Diego, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Abu Dhabi (UAE), Kyiv (Ukraine), and Melbourne (Australia), Shield AI’s technology actively supports U.S. and allied operations worldwide.  For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X and Instagram.    

Hivemind Forge is an innovative simulation, data engineering, and infrastructure team at Shield AI. The team drives excellence in designing, testing, deploying, and evaluating instances of Hivemind Pilot and Commander. As Shield AI's AI Factory, Forge implements SDKs, CLIs, and webapps to enable the development of advanced autonomous systems. With a focus on versatility, Forge develops tools that empower developers across environments - from cloud-based solutions and on-premises systems to local developer laptops. The team is dedicated to advancing autonomy and delivering exceptional user experiences through robust, scalable, and developer-friendly solutions.

As a Frontend Engineering Manager for Hivemind Forge, you will lead a team of talented frontend engineers building a web platform that is core to the development and evaluation of advanced autonomous systems. The Forge web application is a mission-critical interface for orchestrating simulations, analyzing AI behavior, and configuring real-world autonomy deployments. 

You’ll be responsible for technical leadership, team growth and mentorship, and cross-functional coordination, while continuing to contribute meaningfully to architecture and implementation. You’ll collaborate closely with teams across product, simulation, backend, systems, and autonomy to deliver a responsive and reliable platform for autonomy engineers. 

We’re looking for a strong engineering leader who combines deep technical expertise in modern frontend development with a passion for growing high-performing teams and delivering excellent user experiences in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment. 

WHAT YOU'LL DO:

• Lead and mentor a team of frontend engineers, helping them grow their skills, meet career goals, and deliver high-quality software. 
• Drive technical decisions and architecture for the Forge web application and its integration with backend APIs, data pipelines, and autonomy tooling. 
• Stay hands-on, contributing to complex feature development and code reviews across React and TypeScript-based services. 
• Coordinate cross-functionally with product managers, designers, and teams across simulation, autonomy, and analysis to align roadmaps and execution. 
• Deliver user interfaces for advanced autonomy workflows - including simulation visualization, data analysis, and agent configuration tools. 
• Establish and maintain UI quality standards through design systems, reusable components, automated testing, and robust documentation. 
• Foster a culture of technical excellence, innovation, and collaboration within the team and the broader organization. 

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• 10+ years of experience designing and developing production-grade software systems. 
• 6+ years of experience building and integrating frontend systems with RESTful APIs and backend services. 
• 3+ years of experience as a team lead or engineering manager, with demonstrated success in growing and mentoring engineers. 
• Advanced proficiency in React and TypeScript. 
• Strong architecture and design skills, particularly for scalable and extensible frontend systems. 
• Experience building interactive UIs for complex domains such as simulation, data analysis, or visualization. 
• BS/MS in Computer Science or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience. 
• A strong track record of collaboration, high standards, and technical ownership in mission-critical environments. 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience with WebGL, geospatial data, or simulation tooling. 
• Familiarity with WebSockets, WebRTC, or real-time data streaming. 
• Eye for design and UX sensibilities, including application of design systems. 
• Experience developing or contributing to an SDK. 
• Experience with frontend testing frameworks, particularly Playwright. 
• Exposure to Electron, egui, desktop-class web applications, or hybrid apps. 
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, Docker, and cloud environments (Azure, GCP, or AWS). 
• Comfort working in Linux-based development environments. 

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)

Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.

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Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. 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.