Staff Software Engineer, Shield AI
Task Group
$157.1-235.6k
+ Bonus & Equity
More information about location
Building AI aircraft pilots
Open for applications
Building AI aircraft pilots
501-1000 employees
Open for applications
$157.1-235.6k
+ Bonus & Equity
More information about location
501-1000 employees
Company mission
Shield AI's mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems.
Role
Who you are
- BS in computer science or related engineering field with 7+ years of professional experience
- Proficient with C++ 11, 14, or 17 in a production environment (e.g. support for both internal and external customers)
- Experience in a collaborative development environment, focused on continuous integration/delivery & test-driven development
- Strong knowledge of modern software engineering best practices
- Demonstrated record of working hard, strong communication skills, being a trustworthy teammate, and being kind to others
- Familiarity with writing thread-safe multi-threaded programs
- Familiarity with common debugging and profiling tools (e.g. gdb, valgrind, etc.)
- Familiarity with git, bash, Python
What the job involves
- The Planning and Controls (PAC) team is an agile group of engineers focused on researching and developing state-of-the-art algorithms that drive intelligent and confidence-inspiring flight behaviors while accounting for an uncertain and dynamic world
- As a member of PAC, you will work at the intersection of artificial intelligence, task & motion planning, and controls
- You will architect core systems, write high quality software for core systems, set standards for software engineering, refine technical requirements, drive strategic technical improvements, and mentor other engineers
- Research, design, and implement state-of-the-art planning algorithms, taking ideas from conception to field deployment
- Optimize the planning stack on the CPU and GPU
- Develop core systems that must be portable and scalable across different UAS platforms and compute architectures
- Work with our Hivemind Design Software team to design and build infrastructure for the PAC team that both supports local development and scales into the cloud
- Work with soft or hard real-time operating systems
- Work with robotics middleware such as ROS and PX4
- Work on algorithms, including graph search, sampling-based planning, etc
- Work with and deploy our AI stack to edge devices
- Work in collaboration with our DevOps teams to architect and maintain our cloud infrastructure, working with containerization technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes; assist with cross-platform builds and test orchestration, working with build tools (e.g. CMake, Bazel, etc.) and compiler tool chains (e.g. gcc, llvm, etc.)
- Design and implement Mission Planning interfaces or Multi-agent coordination for Tasks given to heterogeneous teams
- Port PAC libraries, where applicable, to CUDA kernels
- Port PAC libraries to EdgeOS, a Shield AI Middleware framework, that enables portability of PAC libraries to multiple platforms and compute architectures
- Design and implement an analysis and simulation framework that: enables testing of various components in isolation or in a fully integrated manner; supports parameter sweeps; supports hardware-in-the-loop
Our take
Self-driving vehicles present enormous benefits for the transportation industry, with the potential to increase the safety and efficiency of cars, trucks, and commercial airlines. However, such technological innovation is less present within the military transportation sector, despite the benefits that AI piloting would produce for the operation of drones and aircraft.
Shield AI is developing Hivemind, an AI-driven pilot that can operate drones and aircraft autonomously, without needing GPS, communications, or pilots. In addition to navigation, the technology is also designed to facilitate indoor building clearance, integrated defense breaching, and has the ability to learn and autonomously execute aircraft missions.
Whilst similar AI-driven pilot software has begun to appear in Chinese military research programs, Shield AI's target is the US. By developing fully autonomous piloting integrations for any type of aircraft, the company aims to future-proof the US military without the need for bespoke aircraft design. It has generated massive amounts of funding to support continued scaling and R&D efforts.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
Few candidates hear
back within 2 weeks
Company
Funding (last 2 of 12 rounds)
Jan 2025
$200m
LATE VC
Oct 2023
$300m
SERIES F
Total funding: $994.5m
Company benefits
- Excellent Medical Coverage
- Mental Health Employee Assistance Program
- Paid Parental Leave
- Pet Insurance
- Flexible Work Hours
- Work From Home Benefits
- Relaxed Dress Code
- Unlimited Snacks and Beverages
- Gym Discount (San Diego)
- Onsite Gym (DC)
- Commuter Benefits
- 401k services and match
- Stock Benefits
Company values
- Earn Trust - We live with uncompromising honesty and integrity. We avoid even the appearance of improper behavior
- Be Candid - We have the courage to address challenges directly and never behind the backs of teammates. We speak up when we disagree. We provide feedback that is clear, direct, and timely
- Delight Our Customers - We develop empathy for our customers and the circumstances they face. We earn customer trust and never take it for granted
- Put The Team First - We are one team committed to the common mission. We place the success of the team ahead of our individual success
- Embrace Teammates - We treat our teammates with kindness, respect, and even love. Even in moments where results are subpar or competence is in question, we trust that they operate with good hearts and the best intentions
- Demonstrate Grit - We have the passion and perseverance to meet our goals. We work tirelessly to achieve lofty objectives
- Dominate - We do not seek to merely win but win so dominantly that competitors fear our capabilities. We demonstrate the courage, confidence, and capacity to pursue and achieve game-changing objectives that others regard as improbable or even impossible
- Act With Kindness - We treat people with kindness and respect in our words and actions. We know that achievement of extraordinary success need not come at the expense of being a good person
- Be Rigorous & Go Fast - We approach problems with a clear understanding of objectives, context, and detail. We dive deep into issues and roll up our sleeves to ensure the team succeeds
- Be Enthusiastic - We make work fun because life is short, and we spend most of our lives at work. We are enthusiastic about our successes and our opportunities to solve complex problems
- Be A Good Steward Of Resources - Resources are precious, so we find creative and logical ways to do more with less. We recognize that anyone can change the world with unlimited time and resources, and only great teams can do it within practical limits
- Build Resilience - We keep ourselves and our teams at peak performance by carefully managing our mental, physical and spiritual health
Company HQ
Marina, San Diego, CA
Articles
Leadership
Ryan Tseng
(CEO)Experience as CEO, CTO and Founder of WiPower from 2006 to 2010. Technical Lead for Wireless Power Program for Qualcomm from 2010 to 2013.
Brandon Tseng
(President)Naval Officer for the US Navy from 2009 to 2015.
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