---
title: 'Staff Engineer, Software Test (R5836) at Shield AI'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/staff-engineer-software-test-r5836-shield-ai-melbourne-8rq3zr25kyst'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-17'
---

# Staff Engineer, Software Test (R5836) at Shield AI

- **Company:** Shield AI
- **Location:** Melbourne, Australia
- **Employment:** internship
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-09-08
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-17
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/shieldai/ba67e3c1-b862-4703-8654-b3bcce162ee4

## Job description

Job Description: Shield AI's Software Test & Automation Team develops the verification, validation, and automation capabilities that enable rapid delivery of Hivemind autonomy across the Expeditionary and Emerging Operations portfolio. Our mission is to provide objective evidence of software quality, reliability, and mission readiness by building scalable automated test frameworks, repeatable validation environments, and data-driven readiness assessments spanning simulation, Software-in-the-Loop (SIL), Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL), and Vehicle-in-the-Loop (VIL) environments. As a Senior Software Test & Automation Engineer, you will design and develop automated test infrastructure, execute system-level verification activities, analyze software performance, and build the tooling that enables continuous validation throughout the development lifecycle. Working closely with autonomy software, systems engineering, digital infrastructure, and flight test teams, you will help ensure autonomy capabilities are validated, repeatable, and ready for operational deployment.

What you'll do:

- Design, develop, and maintain automated test frameworks, validation tooling, and test infrastructure supporting autonomy software.
- Develop and execute verification and validation strategies across simulation, SIL, HIL, VIL, and representative system environments.
- Build automated regression, integration, functional, and performance test suites that improve software quality and deployment confidence.
- Develop Python-based automation, test harnesses, and analysis tools that reduce manual testing effort and improve repeatability.
- Analyze test results, identify software defects and integration issues, and support cross-functional root cause investigations.
- Develop software quality metrics, dashboards, and readiness assessments that provide objective evidence of software maturity.
- Integrate automated testing into CI/CD workflows to enable continuous validation and rapid developer feedback.
- Collaborate with autonomy software, systems engineering, flight test, and integration teams to define validation strategies and readiness criteria.
- Improve test infrastructure, automation coverage, and validation methodologies across the Expeditionary and Emerging Operations portfolio.

Required qualifications:

- BS in Computer Science, Aerospace, Electrical, Mechanical Engineering or related field.
- 4–7 years developing software test, verification, automation, or validation solutions for robotics, autonomy, aerospace, or other complex distributed systems.
- Strong proficiency in Python for automation, testing, and data analysis.
- Experience developing automated test frameworks, test harnesses, or validation infrastructure.
- Experience with Linux-based development environments.
- Experience validating software in simulation, SIL, HIL, and/or representative hardware environments.
- Experience debugging complex software and system integration issues.
- Experience with CI/CD pipelines and continuous validation practices.
- Strong understanding of software verification, regression testing, and quality assurance methodologies.

Preferred qualifications:

- Experience with flight control systems such as ArduPilot or PX4.
- Experience with unmanned aerial systems (fixed-wing, quadrotor, or both)
- Background in autonomy, robotics, or aerospace systems
- Familiarity with flight controllers, radios, and communications systems

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 at [Baseline / NV1 / NV2] level.

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)

#LD

## 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)

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