Shield AI

Staff Engineer, Forward Deployed (R5021)

London June 5, 2026 Internship Lever
Founded in 2015, 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 and V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft. 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. 

Job Description:

The Forward Deployed Engineer will provide technical expertise and support to customers during the implementation and use of Shield AI enterprise software products. This role involves working closely with customers to understand their requirements and ensuring successful product integration for AI & Autonomy development. 

Job Description:

The Forward Deployed Engineer will provide technical expertise and support to customers during the implementation and use of Shield AI enterprise software products. This role involves working closely with customers to understand their requirements and ensuring successful product integration for AI & Autonomy development. 
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Our international teammates receive a comprehensive total rewards package aligned to your country office location. For full details on compensation and benefits, please consult your talent acquisition partner.

What you'll do:

  • Become an expert user of the Hivemind Enterprise Autonomy Software Development Kit.
  • Develop AI & Autonomy applications using Hivemind for unmanned platforms across air/sea/land/space.
  • Deploy Hivemind AI infrastructure at customer sites.
  • Provide technical training to customers for their autonomy development efforts.
  • Assist customers in integrating Hivemind autonomy to their vehicles/platforms.
  • Help customers debug software/API integration issues.
  • Collaborate with the product and engineering teams to address customer feedback and improve products.
  • Develop and maintain technical documentation and training materials Assist the sales team in answering complex technical queries from customers.
  • Travel to and stay at customer sites as required (~30% travel). 

    • Examples of Projects You will Work On: 

  • Autonomous teaming drones.
  • Teaming between helicopters and drones.
  • Autonomy on Robodogs.
  • AI on Fighter Jets… and more that we aren’t allowed to publicly share!

    • Required qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field. 
  • 7+ years of experience of industry experience
  • 3+ years of experience in an integration/applications engineering role 
  • 3+ years of experience working in a startup environment. 
  • Strong technical background in software engineering. 
  • Strong proficiency in writing modern C++ code. 
  • Intermediate proficiency in writing Python code. 
  • Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills. 
  • Strong communication and interpersonal skills. 

    • Preferred qualifications:

  • Experience in the defense aviation or robotics industry. 
  • Experience building and running a small enterprise software applications/solutions engineering team. 
    • Apply on company site

    How to Get Hired at Shield AI

    • Shield AI is a rapidly growing defense-tech startup with nearly many open roles—timing your application well and applying to well-matched positions increases your chances of standing out.
    • U.S. citizenship and security clearance eligibility are commonly required—make this information immediately visible on your resume to avoid being filtered out early.
    How to apply to Shield AI

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