Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
As a System Integration Test Engineer, you will integrate and verify Shield AI's Hivemind mission autonomy software directly on Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP) flight hardware. You will serve as the hands-on technical bridge between autonomy algorithms and physical aircraft systems, working across Shield AI and aircraft platform vendors to verify system interfaces, validate edge compute performance, and resolve integration issues before flight testing.
You will drive integration across Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) environments, both in Shield AI's internal laboratories and on-site at platform vendor integration facilities (including SIL, HIL, and iron bird test benches). You will turn high-level program objectives into executable integration plans, schedules, and test cards, systematically uncovering interface gaps early and formulating technical solutions to close them. This is an essential, high-impact role for an engineer who excels at the intersection where complex mission software meets real aircraft avionics and hardware.
Integrate Mission Autonomy on ACP Hardware: Deploy, integrate, and verify Hivemind mission autonomy software with actual ACP software and hardware in Shield AI and platform vendor SIL and HIL labs.
Develop Test & Integration Plans: Develop detailed integration test plans, test cards, schedules, and objective success criteria across lab, ground, and flight test phases.
Identify & Resolve Integration Gaps: Proactively identify architectural, interface, protocol, timing, and hardware/software gaps early; formulate concrete gap-closure plans, risk mitigations, and technical workarounds alongside Shield engineering and platform partners.
Coordinate Joint Vendor Lab Execution: Partner directly with aircraft OEMs and platform vendors to coordinate lab readiness, align entry/exit criteria, deconflict bench time, and co-execute joint integration campaigns.
Conduct Hands-On Lab Triage: Execute integration tests, configure test benches, and lead real-time troubleshooting of multi-system anomalies
Drive Test Automation & Tooling: Coordinate across engineering teams to design and build test automation and simulation scripts to accelerate development
Gate Flight Readiness & Support Flight Test: Enforce empirical test entry/exit criteria to gate delivery to aircraft ground and flight test; support flight test preparation, configuration validation, real-time troubleshooting, and post-flight data analysis.
Support travel to test sites, customer events, and integration activities as required
Mission autonomy and aircraft hardware/avionics operate reliably and deterministically together in representative SIL and HIL labs well before aircraft ground and flight testing. Integration gaps and interface discrepancies are surfaced and resolved early, configurations and master test schedules are transparent and aligned across vendors, and rigorous lab test results provide the high-confidence empirical evidence needed to clear the aircraft for flight.
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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.
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 nine offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide.
