About Shield AI
Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company whose mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. In pursuit of this mission, Shield AI is building the world’s best AI pilot. Its AI pilot, Hivemind, has flown jets (F-16; MQM-178 Firejet), a vertical takeoff and landing drone (MQ-35 V-BAT), and three quadcopters (Nova, Nova 2, iPRD). The company has offices in San Diego, Dallas, Washington DC and abroad. Shield AI’s products and people are currently in the field actively supporting operations with the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. allies.
Hivemind Design (HMD) is an innovative simulation, data science, and infrastructure team at Shield AI. We own the tools for designing, developing, testing, deploying and evaluating instances of the Hivemind AI pilot and commander. Our software products enable companies to construct and control sophisticated autonomous systems, and therefore we are transforming the future of autonomy. We are committed to excellence, driving innovations that prepare autonomous agents for the most critical missions.
The Hivemind Design product is Shield AI's AI Factory; a service-oriented architecture leveraged through an SDK, CLI, and web portal. Our focus is on leveraging both virtualized and bare-metal infrastructure to orchestrate autonomous agents in sophisticated simulations, dynamically configure test beds, and pioneer software configurations and deployments on robotic systems. The HMD team is not only solving problems; we are tasked with setting new benchmarks in technology and delivering unparalleled user experiences.
We pride ourselves on a diverse team of experts from fields such as computer science, aerospace, game design, and distributed simulation systems. This diversity fuels our innovative spirit, in an environment that values creativity, teamwork, and a relentless pursuit of excellence.
As a Principal Engineer you’ll help lead the development of the HMD product web portal and integrated installer. Our web portal provides a user interface for Operators to rehearse missions, plan scenarios, and analyze performance. It also provides a central location for autonomy engineers to interact with Hivemind software and communicate with other teams. We're looking for an engineer with a visionary outlook and a solid track recordof delivering great user interfaces.
What you’ll do:
- Build custom editors to configure and execute simulations of autonomous aircraft
- Develop user interfaces for interacting with large multi-dimensional datasets
- Incorporate technologies such as Web RTC for interactive 3D simulations
- Contribute to an integrated installer UI for Hivemind software
- Contribute to mission planning interfaces for autonomous vehicles
Required Qualifications:
- Typically requires a minimum of 7 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 4 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with 2 years experience; or equivalent experience.
- 7+ years of hands-on experience in designing and developing production quality software systems.
- 3+ years experience developing software to interface with web APIs, including proficiency with gRPC and RESTful APIs.
- 1+ years demonstrated experience with React/Node/Typescript and Material UI
- BS/MS in Computer Science, similar degree, or equivalent practical experience
- Demonstrated record of working hard, being a trustworthy teammate, holding yourself and others to high standards, and being kind to others
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience with geospatial data and WebGL
- Experience applying design systems to UI components
- Experience with Web RTC
- Eye for design and UX sensibilities
- Hands-on experience with a major cloud platform (Azure, GCP, AWS)
- Experience with Linux, Docker, and CI/CD environments
- Experience with WebSockets and Electron (or similar)
- Experience with Playwright UI testing
#LI-AM1
#LD
Total package details for U.S. based positions:
- Regular employee positions: Salary within range listed above + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
- Temporary employee positions: Hourly within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days
of employment)
- Interns/Military Fellows/Part-time not eligible for bonus, benefits or equity
Total package details for International based positions (where applicable):
- International premium, hardship differential, cost of living differential, living quarters allowance, foreign service transfer
allowance, equity, international benefits, visa assistance, and relocation assistance.
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.
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.
Top Skills
What We Do
Shield AI is building the world's best AI pilot. Our Hivemind autonomy stack is the first and only autonomous AI Pilot, deployed in combat since 2018. Hivemind enables intelligent teams of aircraft to perform missions ranging from room clearance, to penetrating air defense systems, and dogfighting F-16s.
Why Work With Us
What makes Shield AI special is our people. We unlock the power of autonomy, and in the face of overwhelming odds and challenges, we find ways to win and make a difference for our customers. We bring together software, AI, and aerospace engineering disciplines to deploy the most intelligent aviation capabilities in the world.
Gallery
.png)
 (1).png)
