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 Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
Job Description: The Lead Software Engineer for the Hardware Test Team is responsible for defining, building, and scaling the software architecture that underpins automated testing of aircraft hardware, avionics, and subsystems. This role combines deep hands-on development with technical leadership, architectural ownership, and cross-functional influence across hardware, systems, and QA organizations.
The ideal candidate is equally comfortable designing Python-based test frameworks, interfacing with real hardware, and setting technical direction for a team responsible for mission-critical validation infrastructure.
What you'll do:- Own the technical architecture for hardware test software, including drivers, frameworks, and shared libraries used across multiple aircraft programs and test environments.
- Design, develop, and maintain Python-based software that interfaces with PCBAs, avionics, sensors, power systems, motors, and automated test equipment.
- Lead the design and implementation of scalable automated test frameworks, ensuring reliability, determinism, traceability, and long-term maintainability.
- Set standards and best practices for test software development, including code structure, documentation, testability, observability, and error handling.
- Build and evolve CI/CD pipelines that support continuous integration, automated validation, and reliable deployment of test stand software.
- Develop and maintain test infrastructure (both software and system-level), enabling rapid provisioning, configuration management, and repeatable deployments across labs and programs.
- Integrate system monitoring and data visualization solutions (e.g., metrics collection, dashboards, logging pipelines) to support test execution, debugging, and post-test analysis.
- Provide technical leadership and mentorship through design reviews, code reviews, and architectural guidance, raising the overall engineering bar of the team.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with hardware, systems, manufacturing, and QA teams to ensure test capabilities align with broader aircraft validation and production workflows.
- Drive execution and accountability, owning outcomes from concept through deployment and operational support of test systems.
- Other duties as assigned, consistent with a technical leadership role.
Required qualifications:- B.S. in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related STEM field (or equivalent practical experience).
- Advanced proficiency in Python, including experience designing large, maintainable codebases.
- Strong background in Linux-based development, including Bash scripting, system services, and networking fundamentals.
- Demonstrated experience leading or owning complex software systems, beyond isolated features or tasks.
- Proven ability to architect systems that balance scalability, reliability, and developer ergonomics.
- Experience working closely with hardware teams and interfacing software with physical systems.
- Track record of technical ownership, delivering high-impact results and holding yourself and others to high engineering standards.
- Strong communication skills and the ability to influence technical direction across teams.
Preferred qualifications:- Comfort working directly with hardware test environments involving circuit boards, power supplies, electronic loads, motors, and sensors.
- Experience developing drivers or control software for lab or manufacturing test equipment.
- Familiarity with CI/CD systems, infrastructure automation, and configuration management for test environments.
- Working knowledge of electrical engineering fundamentals, physics, and applied mathematics as they relate to hardware validation.
- Experience designing observability systems for test infrastructure (metrics, logging, visualization, alerting).
- Demonstrated adaptability and ability to operate effectively under evolving requirements and aggressive timelines.
- Prior experience in a technical lead or staff-level role supporting multiple stakeholders or programs.
$128,045 - $192,067 a year
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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.
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
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