Chief Engineer, Weapons

Shield AI; Greater London; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

UK security clearance (preferred)

Job summary

Shield AI seeks a Chief Engineer to lead autonomy projects for unmanned weapon systems in the UK, driving system architecture and product quality across defense contracts.

You will oversee Hivemind Autonomy, guiding internal and external teams, and shaping defense autonomy architectures with strong leadership and technical vision.

Qualifications

• BS/MS in CS or related engineering field.
• 10+ years in autonomy/unmanned systems.
• 7+ years delivering software to production.
• GNC (controls, estimation, planning) knowledge.
• Robotics stack understanding (controls, estimation, perception, planning).
• Knowledge of software development processes and deployment.
• Experience defining technical scope, architectures, ICDs.
• Strong problem-solving using scientific/technical methods.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Chief Engineer role on autonomy projects for unmanned weapon systems.
• Guide Hivemind Autonomy architectures and defense platforms.
• Set technical objectives, make key engineering decisions, ensure deliverables.
• Provide technical leadership across IRAD initiatives and defense contracts.

Skills

Autonomy engineering

Unmanned systems

Technical leadership

GNC understanding

Robotics stack

Software deployment

Requirements management

Customer-facing leadership

Proposal writing

Team leadership

Education

BS/MS in CS or EE or ME/Aerospace

Job description

The Chief Engineer at Shield AI is responsible for solving complex technical challenges in deploying advanced autonomy solutions on unmanned weapon systems.

As the chief authority on system architecture, design, development, risk mitigation, and product quality, the Chief Engineer ensures the successful integration of Hivemind Autonomy across a range of unmanned weapon systems.

This role is part of the Hivemind Solutions organization and leads a team of engineers to deliver cutting-edge autonomous capabilities for business-to-business and defense contracts. The ideal candidate has defense industry experience as a Chief Engineer and a proven track record of leading technical teams to develop and deploy autonomous weapon systems.

What you'll do:

• Serve as the Chief Engineer on Shield AI projects focused on developing and deploying autonomy solutions for unmanned weapon systems.
• Lead a team responsible for advancing Hivemind Autonomy and shaping defense autonomy architectures.
• Define and assign technical objectives, make key engineering decisions, and ensure the quality and completeness of all technical deliverables.
• Provide technical leadership and oversight across both Internal Research and Development (IRAD) initiatives and defense contracts.

Required qualifications:

• BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering, and/or similar degree
• 10+ years of industry experience in autonomy and/or unmanned weapon systems (e.g., defense tech, self-driving cars, etc.)
• 7+ years of delivering software into production/certifiable environments with high reliability
• Understanding of guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) (e.g., controls, estimation, planning)
• Understanding of the robotics stack (e.g., controls, estimation, perception, planning, etc.)
• Understanding of software development processes and how to effectively deploy software
• Experience defining technical scope and managing technical requirements, product architectures, ICDs, and other system-level design documentation
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills through the application of a scientific and technical approach
• Customer-facing engineering leadership supporting both defense and internally funded development programs
• Ability to contribute to government contract proposal writing
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Excellent leadership skills, with experience leading a team of 6–20 engineers

Preffered Qualificatons:

• UK security clearance