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Talent@ Beta
Shield AI

Senior Applications Engineer, Autonomy

Shield AI · Series F · Website

Role Details

Location
United States
Salary (est. USD)
~$140K - $220K (est. USD)

Estimated based on role seniority, company stage (Series F), and industry benchmarks. Actual compensation may vary.

How is this calculated?
Seniority band Senior / Lead
Base range $140K – $220K

Based on Web3 & AI industry compensation data. Seniority is inferred from role title keywords. Company stage affects ranges: early-stage (−15%), late-stage/public (+10%).

Department
Applications Engineering
Type
Full-time
Vertical
Robotics

Job Description

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.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the 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

Our Applications Engineers are highly technical, customer-facing problem solvers who play a critical role in deploying Shield AI’s Hivemind software in real-world environments. This role is travel-intensive, with frequent trips, often international, and sometimes lasting multiple weeks, to work directly alongside customers on-site.

This is primarily a Senior-level role, and we’re typically looking for candidates with several years of relevant industry experience. That said, we will consider exceptional mid-level engineers who demonstrate strong technical fundamentals, a hands-on mindset, and a track record of taking initiative in dynamic, customer-driven environments

In this role, you will work closely with customers to understand their requirements, provide technical expertise during deployment, and ensure successful integration of our AI and autonomy products. You’ll also collaborate internally with engineering teams, with opportunities to grow into technical leadership over time.

You Should Apply If:

  • You’re excited about a travel-heavy role and enjoy being on-site with customers, including international and multi-week engagements

  • You’re a strong technical contributor (or early in your career and eager to grow) who takes initiative and figures things out

  • You enjoy problem solving, building relationships, and working at the intersection of engineering and real-world deployment

  • You’re passionate about autonomy, robotics, or aerospace

You Should Not Apply If:

  • You prefer minimal travel or want to work primarily from a single location

  • You want to do 100% R&D and don’t enjoy customer interactions

  • You’ve never programmed in C, C++, or Rust

What you'll do:

  • Deploy with customers on site globally (~50% travel) to support software integration and development activities. 
  • Become an expert user of the Hivemind enterprise software stack and its various autonomy modules. 
  • Provide technical support and training to customers. 
  • Develop AI & Autonomy applications using the Shield AI enterprise software development kit
  • Assist the sales team in pre-sales activities, e.g., demos, conferences, immersions
  • Assist in post-sales deployment and integration of Shield AI enterprise software products. 
  • Develop and maintain technical documentation and training materials. 
  • Help customers debug software/API integration issues. 
  • Collaborate with the product engineering team to address customer feedback and improve products. 
  • Required qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field. 
  • 5+ years of experience of industry experience
  • 2+ years of experience in an integration/applications engineering role 
  • About Shield AI

    Defense AI company building the world's best AI pilot for autonomous drones and fighter jets.

    View company profile

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