--- title: 'Senior Engineer, Modelling and Simulation (R5703) at Shield AI' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-engineer-modelling-and-simulation-r5703-shield-ai-melbourne-2p6c72665afw' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-11-07' --- # Senior Engineer, Modelling and Simulation (R5703) at Shield AI - **Company:** Shield AI - **Location:** Melbourne, Australia - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** hybrid - **Posted:** 2026-11-05 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-07 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/shieldai/92b941ac-d449-48fd-b480-5b44df06c001 ## Job description Job Description: As a Senior Engineer in Modelling and Simulation, you will lead the development, integration, and operationalisation of simulation capabilities that enable Hivemind Mission Autonomy programs in Australia. You will architect, implement, and maintain high‑performance, real‑time and faster‑than‑real‑time simulation environments used by autonomy, perception, and systems engineering teams to design, test, and demonstrate cutting‑edge uncrewed aircraft mission autonomy. This role involves significant technical leadership, cross‑functional collaboration, and delivery of complex simulation frameworks that support both customer programs and internal R&D. You will directly contribute to scalable, operationally representative simulation ecosystems that underpin mission‑critical software development. What you'll do: - Support the design and evolution of distributed real time simulation systems across virtual, constructive and live environments. - Implement high performance C++ software for modelling, simulation, integration workflows and system interoperability, including compatibility with legacy standards. - Develop and optimise real time and distributed simulation software supporting multi agent scenarios and high fidelity environments. - Integrate defence simulation frameworks such as AFSIM or NGTS to support delivery and ensure alignment with defence customer expectations. - Design and deliver containerised simulation deployments using technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes for development, CI, testing and operational environments. - Collaborate with cross functional teams to connect simulation with autonomy algorithms, hardware interfaces and automated test pipelines. - Drive improvement across CI/CD, test driven development, software architecture and simulation tooling. - Support key customer programs by delivering reliable and scalable simulation environments. Required Qualifications: - Tertiary qualification in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Mechatronics or a related field. - Professional experience in software engineering and systems integration. - Strong experience with modern C++ and familiarity with legacy C++ standards. - Professional experience with Python. - Demonstrated success delivering reliable software in fast paced engineering environments. - Experience with real time or distributed simulation systems. - Experience with Docker or similar containerisation technologies. - Proficiency working in Linux development environments. - Strong problem solving capability and the ability to work through complex technical challenges. - Strong history of collaboration, accountability and being an effective team member. - Ability to obtain an Australian security clearance. Preferred Qualifications: - Defence industry experience. - Experience with uncrewed systems, particularly in the air domain. - Experience with data processing, analysis pipelines or test automation workflows (especially Python based). Eligibility: Our mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems, and this role supports that mission directly by working with Australian Government classified material. It requires an Australian Government security clearance. You don't need to hold a clearance already, we will sponsor your clearance and support you, because mission first, people always. Australian citizenship is a mandatory requirement for this role. It is a condition of clearance eligibility set by the Australian Government, eligibility details are here: [https://www.agsva.gov.au/applicants/eligibility-suitability](https://usg02.safelinks.protection.office365.us/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.agsva.gov.au%2Fapplicants%2Feligibility-suitability&data=05%7C02%7Ckuven.vyanan.ctr%40shield.ai%7C0e02c01eeca94706d0c908df153faec9%7Cd16fb4e4c36b454498b051142c1a2093%7C0%7C0%7C639253035398164812%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=AtoiHBQ27VLmgP3BrUeraLhSROV4oL75A6tOyT0v%2BnM%3D&reserved=0) ## 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 - [2027 Summer Intern - Supplier Development Engineer - 6463](https://feeny.ai/job/2027-summer-intern-supplier-development-engineer-6463-shield-ai-dallas-pptfvv19dqkf) — Dallas, TX - [2027 Summer Intern - Supply Chain Materials Planner - 6434](https://feeny.ai/job/2027-summer-intern-supply-chain-materials-planner-6434-shield-ai-seattle-4djy6m09a4cj) — Seattle, WA - [Autonomy Engineer, Technical Documentation](https://feeny.ai/job/autonomy-engineer-technical-documentation-shield-ai-san-diego-97g67v4ys3n9) — San Diego, CA - [Director, Systems Engineering & Architecture - Hivemind Enterprise](https://feeny.ai/job/director-systems-engineering-architecture-hivemind-enterprise-shield-ai-san-z1zb7g7vsm3y) — San Diego, CA - [Supplier Quality Specialist - PCBA Rework (R6420)](https://feeny.ai/job/supplier-quality-specialist-pcba-rework-r6420-shield-ai-dallas-dz062p41425m) — Dallas, TX - [Supplier Quality Specialist (R6419)](https://feeny.ai/job/supplier-quality-specialist-r6419-shield-ai-dallas-q154qa8r2wc9) — Dallas, TX - [Senior Executive Recruiter - G&A (R6520)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-executive-recruiter-g-a-r6520-shield-ai-remote-snsx3nvzjs9y) - [Senior Executive Recruiter - Hivemind (R6523)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-executive-recruiter-hivemind-r6523-shield-ai-remote-mmd5bjrh5ehm) - [Senior Executive Recruiter - Aircraft (R6521)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-executive-recruiter-aircraft-r6521-shield-ai-remote-w5x8jyftv460) - [Sr. Director, Global People Operations](https://feeny.ai/job/sr-director-global-people-operations-shield-ai-seattle-6xtw6kzm9trf) — Seattle, WA