Embedded Software Engineering Intern, Shield AI

2026 Summer

Salary not provided

$42 - $62 an hour Rising Bachelor's graduate = $42/hour Rising Master's graduate = $50/hour Rising PhD graduate = $62/hour + Housing stipend provided for those who qualify.

Python

C++

Boston

Building AI aircraft pilots

Be an early applicant

Building AI aircraft pilots

1001+ employees

B2BArtificial IntelligenceEnterpriseFlights

Be an early applicant

Salary not provided

$42 - $62 an hour Rising Bachelor's graduate = $42/hour Rising Master's graduate = $50/hour Rising PhD graduate = $62/hour + Housing stipend provided for those who qualify.

Python

C++

Boston

1001+ employees

B2BArtificial IntelligenceEnterpriseFlights

Company mission

To protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems.

Job

Company

Role

Who you are

You are an undergraduate, graduate or PhD student expected to graduate in December 2026 or Spring 2027
Pursuing a degree in Systems Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Science or related STEM field
Software development expertise in C++
Experience with software development on real-time embedded systems (academic or college extracurricular projects are applicable)
Experience working on multidisciplinary hardware development projects, which can be from an internship, job, club, team, personal project, etc
Great written and verbal communication
Demonstrated history of showing ownership of project outcomes and delivering exceptional results
Record of working hard, being a trustworthy teammate, holding yourself and others to high standards, and being kind to others

What the job involves

Our 2026 Summer Internship program is a wonderful opportunity for rising 2027 graduates to immerse themselves in an innovative and mission driven culture
Our 10-week paid internship program will provide you with hands on mentorship, an opportunity to add real contribution to our company via your internship project, and a possible job offer at the end
You will have the chance to make lifelong friendships, expand your network, and learn all about what it's like to work in a high-growth, fast scaling tech unicorn
You'll take part in company sponsored events and enjoy exploring a new city
Read on below to learn more about this unique internship!
The Embedded team contributes to this effort by developing real-time software that controls our advanced UAV while in flight
You will write embedded firmware in C/C++, develop tests and reporters in Python, and work cross-functionally with electrical and mechanical engineers to determine software requirements
Help us save lives as we strive to deliver the most highly reliable aerospace hardware in the industry
10 Week Project Scope & Description:
The general area will be making contributions to our firmware or flight control software codebase by implementing an end-to-end feature
While the specific project scope is not known, it will be derived from our team’s backlog of work. This will ensure that it directly meets business needs
The project will be directly related to embedded software development. The intern will work with full-time engineers to design, implement and test their solution
Intern Program Dates:
June 1st - Aug 7th
OR
June 22nd - Aug 28th
*You MUST be available to start on EITHER June 1st or June 22nd

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

Top investors

Glassdoor (3.6)

Company

Funding (last 2 of 14 rounds)

Mar 2026

$1.5bn

SERIES G

Mar 2026

$500m

LATE VC

Total funding: $3.0bn

Company benefits

Excellent Medical Coverage
Mental Health Employee Assistance Program
Paid Parental Leave
Pet Insurance
Flexible Work Hours
Gym Discount (San Diego)
Onsite Gym (DC)
Free Parking
Competitive Compensation
401K Services and Match
Stock Benefits

Company HQ

Core-Columbia, San Diego, CA

Leadership

Ryan Tseng

(Co-Founder & President)

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

(Co-Founder & President)

Naval Officer for the US Navy from 2009 to 2015.

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