Director of Autonomy Applications Engineering, Shield AI

• This role requires a blend of technical depth, customer empathy, and organizational leadership to drive Hivemind’s adoption across unmanned platforms worldwide
• M.S degree in Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, Robotics or a related field required; Master’s or MBA preferred
• 15+ years in customer-facing technical leadership (solutions/support)
• Proven success leading globally distributed technical teams
• Deep understanding of enterprise software integration, SDKs, and mission-critical systems—ideally within AI/ML, autonomy, or defense technology sectors
• Strong program and project management skills; experience overseeing complex deployments
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage both technical and executive stakeholders
• Experience working with defense primes or international government customers is highly desirable
• Customer-Obsessed: Passionate about understanding customer needs and driving their success
• Strategic Thinker: Ability to see the big picture, anticipate future customer needs, and align enablement efforts with business goals
• Execution-Focused Leader: Proven ability to translate strategy into action and deliver results
• Collaborative & Influential: Adept at working cross-functionally and building strong internal and external relationships
• Technically Credible: Comfortable diving into technical details up to and including reviewing code and engaging with engineering teams
• Adaptable & Resilient: Thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment

Desirable

• The Director of Applications Engineering will lead Shield AI’s global team of Hivemind Application Engineers responsible for deploying Hivemind with customers across defense and allied nations
• This leader will own technical customer success from onboarding through operational deployment—ensuring mission outcomes, technical excellence, and value realization at scale
• Develop and implement a comprehensive technical customer engagement strategy from initial onboarding through full operational deployment and ongoing expansion
• Oversee the creation and execution of detailed phased engagement plans (e.g., 3-6-9-12 months) tailored to customer needs and strategic objectives
• Champion the development of customers as “sovereign capabilities,” enabling them to become self-sufficient operators of Hivemind
• Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing global team of Application Engineers
• Manage distributed teams across the globe (USA, Japan, Korea, Singapore, EU etc.)
• Foster a culture of customer obsession, proactive problem-solving, and technical excellence
• Own and drive training programs for managers and ICs
• Set and drive team OKRs to meet company OKRs
• Set standards and drive creation of high-quality customer training materials
• Oversee the creation of technical documentation, best practice guides, and learning materials
• Drive execution of key customer projects, including CONOP demonstrations, integrations, and production deployments
• Oversee execution for high-impact events such as Tech Days and customer demonstrations
• Implement processes for milestone tracking, risk management, and timely delivery of deliverables
• Partner with Sales and Business Development to ensure seamless pre- and post-sales transitions
• Collaborate with Product and Engineering to feed customer insights into the Hivemind roadmap
• Work with Marketing to produce case studies, success stories, and public communications
• Build relationships with key customer engineering and leadership contacts
• Contribute to reviewing and responding to customer RFIs and RFPs
• Contribute to creating and reviewing Scope of Work documents for customer proposals
• Build long-term relationships with executive stakeholders and program leads
• Ensure customers achieve measurable mission success with Hivemind
• Develop strategies to create “highlight moments” and referenceable customer outcomes