Embedded Engineering, Shield AI
Fall 2026 Co-Op
$35 - $50 an hour
Building AI aircraft pilots
Be an early applicant
Building AI aircraft pilots
1001+ employees
Be an early applicant
$35 - $50 an hour
1001+ employees
Company mission
To protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems.
Role
Who you are
- Typically requires a minimum of 2 years of coursework towards a degree in a related field (Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineer)
- Strong C/C++ background
- Experience in bare-metal firmware development for embedded systems
- Experience in a collaborative development environment, focused on continuous integration/delivery & unit testing to assure software quality
- Familiarity with common version control (git) and build systems (CMake, or similar)
- Demonstrated record of working hard, strong communication skills, being a trustworthy teammate, and being kind to others
Desirable
- Experience working on cutting-edge autonomous robotic systems
- Proven background in thriving within fast-paced environments, particularly within startup or R&D settings. School projects are applicable experience
- Demonstrated adaptability, agility, and the ability to innovate under pressure to meet dynamic project demands and drive successful outcomes
- Classroom or project experience in developing code (Verilog, VHDL) for FPGAs
What the job involves
- Shield AI is seeking an exceptional Co-op candidate to join the team in building our autonomous aircraft
- You will join a team of highly talented cross-functional engineers that exhibit a culture of mentorship, kindness, ownership, and hard work. The start date and duration of the Co-op are flexible
- The Embedded Software team is focused on developing complex avionics software that merges hardware, operating systems and applications for cutting-edge Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)
- Embedded Software engineers work with customer programs, electrical engineers, Guidance, Navigation and Controls (GNC) engineers, systems engineers, test engineers and the Autonomy AI team to design and develop software systems which utilize modern aerospace sensors, state-of-the-art UAV avionics, and groundbreaking Artificial Intelligence applications
- You will be given ownership of a project that is tailored to the start date, duration, and location of your Co-op
- You will be partnered with a senior engineer as mentor and guide for technical input and professional development
- Develop high-quality C/C++ code
- Participate in architecture, design, and code reviews
- Integrate software from multiple departments to include firmware, software test and verification, Autonomy AI, and Ground Control Stations (GCS)
- Develop software systems to implement and integrate interfaces to modern avionics sensors, sub-systems, and payloads
- Facilitate the design process for updates to the software system architecture
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
Company
Funding (last 2 of 12 rounds)
Mar 2025
$240m
LATE VC
Oct 2023
$300m
SERIES F
Total funding: $1.0bn
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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