---
title: 'Engineer I, Flight Test (R6219) at Shield AI'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/engineer-i-flight-test-r6219-shield-ai-san-diego-z9kcx33rzpja'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-17'
---

# Engineer I, Flight Test (R6219) at Shield AI

- **Company:** Shield AI
- **Location:** San Diego, CA
- **Compensation:** $74k–$110k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-10-10
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-17
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/shieldai/0cdcb67f-0550-4f14-987f-82cc6d17ea6e

## Job description

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, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. 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.

What you'll do:

- Support test planning and execution for integration of Hivemind Mission Autonomy capabilities onto unmanned platforms and mission-system configurations.
- Assist senior test engineers with defining test objectives, expected system behavior, acceptance criteria, verification methods, and test schedules.
- Help develop, execute, and maintain system-level test procedures, test cases, checklists, and test configurations.
- Support setup, configuration, operation, and troubleshooting of software-in-the-loop (SIL), hardware-in-the-loop (HIL), simulation, laboratory, and automated test environments.
- Assist with installation, configuration, and verification of test hardware, software, networks, ground-control equipment, sensors, radios, computing systems, and supporting tools as applicable.
- Collect and organize test data, telemetry, logs, video, configuration information, and other evidence needed to evaluate system behavior.
- Help analyze test results, identify deviations from expected performance, document defects, and support root-cause investigations with systems, software, autonomy, and platform-integration teams.
- Contribute to performance metrics, test reports, test-readiness materials, dashboards, and other reporting artifacts for internal engineering teams and external stakeholders.
- Assist with maintaining test infrastructure, test automation, simulation tools, and repeatable test configurations.
- Support development and maintenance of test procedures, standard operating procedures, configuration-control records, lessons learned, and engineering documentation.
- Participate in test-readiness reviews, technical planning meetings, issue-triage sessions, and post-test debriefs.
- Follow established safety, security, configuration-management, and operational procedures during laboratory, simulation, integration, and flight-test activities.
- Travel periodically to internal test sites, customer locations, and platform-integration events as needed.

Required qualifications:

- Bachelor’s degree in a STEM discipline, such as Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Robotics, or a related field. Equivalent practical experience may be considered.
- Foundational experience with engineering test, integration, troubleshooting, or verification activities through coursework, internships, research, military service, laboratory work, personal projects, or professional experience.
- Familiarity with basic systems-engineering and test concepts, including requirements, verification, validation, test procedures, configuration management, defect tracking, and technical documentation.
- Interest in autonomous systems, robotics, unmanned aircraft systems, flight-test operations, simulation, embedded systems, or software-and-hardware integration.
- Familiarity with Linux, Windows, command-line tools, networking basics, and/or scripting or programming languages such as Python, Bash, C++, or similar tools.
- Ability to work methodically, follow detailed procedures, maintain accurate records, and manage several tasks in a fast-paced engineering environment.
- Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills, including the ability to investigate unexpected system behavior using logs, telemetry, test results, and input from subject-matter experts.
- Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical findings to cross-functional engineering teams.
- Demonstrated reliability, accountability, teamwork, attention to detail, and commitment to maintaining a respectful and high-performing engineering culture.
- Ability to travel periodically in support of integration, testing, and customer activities.

Preferred qualifications:

- Internship, academic research, military, laboratory, personal-project, or professional experience involving UAS, autonomous vehicles, robotics, aviation, embedded systems, or complex integrated systems.
- Exposure to software-in-the-loop, hardware-in-the-loop, simulation, modeling-and-simulation, or automated test environments.
- Familiarity with test automation, scripting, data collection, telemetry analysis, log analysis, or defect-tracking tools.
- Exposure to software-development and configuration-management practices, including Git, issue tracking, build systems, continuous integration, or test automation.
- Familiarity with basic networking concepts, including Ethernet, IP networking, UDP/TCP communication, and network troubleshooting.
- Exposure to flight-test, aviation, safety, or operational-risk-management processes.
- Working knowledge of Department of Defense development, test, evaluation, or acquisition processes, including Developmental Test and Evaluation (DT&E) or Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E).
- Experience working in a laboratory, integration facility, field-test environment, maker space, research environment, or similar hands-on technical setting.

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.

###

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.

## About Shield AI

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Shield AI builds AI pilots and autonomous systems for military aircraft to protect service members and civilians.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series G, venture-backed)
- **Headquarters**: San Diego, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2015
- **Founders**: Brandon Tseng, Ryan Tseng, Andrew Reiter

## Core Business
- Primary industry/industries: Defense technology, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, aerospace
- Target customers: U.S. Department of Defense, allied nations’ military forces (B2G / Government)
- Mission or purpose statement: “Protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems.”

## Products & Services
- **Hivemind**: A combat‑tested, modular autonomy stack for aircraft – self‑driving technology for drones, jets, and helicopters. Includes path‑planning, mapping, state‑estimation, computer vision, and reinforcement learning. Type: Software (AI/autonomy).
- **V‑BAT**: A vertical take‑off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial system (UAS) designed for persistent ISR and strike missions. Type: Hardware (drone).
- **X‑BAT**: An advanced unmanned aircraft system with extended endurance and payload capacity, built for multi‑domain operations. Type: Hardware (drone).
- **Hivemind Vision Systems**: Computer‑vision and sensor‑fusion capabilities integrated into Hivemind for GPS‑denied environments. Type: Software + sensors.
- **Hivemind Enterprise**: A deployable version of Hivemind for third‑party platforms and commercial applications. Type: Software.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed (private company). Total funding raised: $3.6B (as of Series G in March 2026).
- **Key Metric**: Annual Revenue ~$21.7M (estimated, private) | Total Funding $3.6B (including $2B Series G led by JP Morgan Chase and Advent International, March 2026).
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: JP Morgan Chase, Advent International, Blackstone, Riot Ventures, SnowPoint Ventures, Disruptive (55+ investors total). Strategic partners include U.S. DoD and allied defense forces.
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew 68.3% YoY to 1,283 employees; 338 active job postings (+57.2% YoY); operates in 5 countries (U.S., Australia, UAE, Norway, Ukraine); recent acquisitions of Sentient Vision Systems (2024), Heron Systems, MARTIN UAV.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Combat‑proven autonomy**: Hivemind has been tested in live military operations, providing a first‑mover advantage in contested, GPS‑denied environments.
- **Full‑stack integration**: Combines software (AI pilot), hardware (V‑BAT, X‑BAT), and sensor systems, creating a tightly integrated product ecosystem.
- **Cross‑functional engineering culture**: Engineers work across AI, robotics, aerospace, and defense – not siloed – enabling rapid iteration and field deployment.
- **Top talent pipeline**: Employees drawn from Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Amazon, Anduril, and other leading defense/tech firms.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scale AI pilots across all domains**: Extend Hivemind from aircraft to ships, satellites, and ground vehicles (“every military asset”).
- **International expansion**: Growing presence in Australia, Europe, and Middle East via mission autonomy centers and partnerships.
- **Deepen autonomy stack**: Continued investment in reinforcement learning, simulation, and computer vision to maintain leadership in contested‑environment autonomy.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission‑driven work**: Directly contribute to protecting service members and civilians with cutting‑edge AI and robotics.
- **Cross‑functional teams**: Engineers collaborate across disciplines (AI, hardware, software, systems) on real‑world defense challenges.
- **Benefits**: Excellent medical coverage, mental health EAP, paid parental leave, pet insurance, flexible work hours, gym discounts (SD) / on‑site gym (DC), free parking, competitive compensation, 401k with match, stock benefits.
- **Work policy**: Flexible work hours; some offices (e.g., San Diego HQ, Arlington, DC) have on‑site facilities. Remote/hybrid options available depending on role.
- **Growth trajectory**: Rapidly scaling (68% headcount growth) with hundreds of open roles across engineering, operations, and program management.

## Sources
1. [shield.ai/about](https://shield.ai/about/)
2. [shield.ai/careers](https://shield.ai/careers/)
3. [LinkedIn – Shield AI](https://www.linkedin.com/company/shield-ai)
4. [CBInsights – Shield AI](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/shield-ai)
5. [Lever – Shield AI Jobs](https://jobs.lever.co/shieldai)

## Other roles at Shield AI

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- [Engineer I, Mechanical Hardware Test](https://feeny.ai/job/engineer-i-mechanical-hardware-test-shield-ai-seattle-009txzdn75eb) — Seattle, WA
- [Senior Staff Engineer, Structural Analysis - Ranger (R6300)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-staff-engineer-structural-analysis-ranger-r6300-shield-ai-seattle-p24f55m9654f) — Seattle, WA
- [Staff Engineer, Fuel Systems - Ranger (R6299)](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-engineer-fuel-systems-ranger-r6299-shield-ai-seattle-66cbvba47hb6) — Seattle, WA
- [Staff Engineer, Aircraft Configuration Design - Ranger (R6298)](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-engineer-aircraft-configuration-design-ranger-r6298-shield-ai-seattle-942h4whh3a76) — Seattle, WA
- [Engineer II, Automated Test (R6288)](https://feeny.ai/job/engineer-ii-automated-test-r6288-shield-ai-san-mateo-9zrnhj6har1p) — San Mateo, CA
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