Applications Engineer, Autonomy (open level) - Remote

Remote; San Francisco (CA); Remote; USD 110,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI is seeking a Senior Applications Engineer who will work directly with customers to deploy Hivemind software and integrate autonomy products. This travel-intensive role demands frequent on-site engagements, including international trips, and a hands-on mindset.

You will collaborate with engineering teams, grow into technical leadership, and help customers succeed with deployments, training, and ongoing support.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, CS, or a related field.
• 5+ years of industry experience.
• 2+ years in an integration/applications engineering role.
• 2+ years in a startup environment.
• Strong proficiency in writing modern C++ code; intermediate Python.

Responsibilities

• Deploy with customers on site globally (~50% travel) to support software integration.
• Become an expert user of the Hivemind enterprise software stack and its autonomy modules.
• Provide technical support and training to customers.
• Develop AI & Autonomy applications using the Shield AI development kit.
• Assist the sales team in pre-sales activities (demos, immersion events).
• Collaborate with product engineering to address customer feedback and improve products.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field

Job description

Founded in 2015, 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 and V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft. 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.

Our Applications Engineers are highly technical, customer-facing problem solvers who play a critical role in deploying Shield AI’s Hivemind software in real-world environments. This role is travel-intensive, with frequent trips, often international, and sometimes lasting multiple weeks, to work directly alongside customers on-site.

This is primarily a Senior-level role, and we’re typically looking for candidates with several years of relevant industry experience. That said, we will consider exceptional mid-level engineers who demonstrate strong technical fundamentals, a hands-on mindset, and a track record of taking initiative in dynamic, customer-driven environments.

In this role, you will work closely with customers to understand their requirements, provide technical expertise during deployment, and ensure successful integration of our AI and autonomy products. You’ll also collaborate internally with engineering teams, with opportunities to grow into technical leadership over time.

You Should Apply If:

• You’re excited about a travel-heavy role and enjoy being on-site with customers, including international and multi-week engagements.

• You’re a strong technical contributor (or early in your career and eager to grow) who takes initiative and figures things out.

• You enjoy problem solving, building relationships, and working at the intersection of engineering and real-world deployment.

• You’re passionate about autonomy, robotics, or aerospace.

You Should Not Apply If:

• You prefer minimal travel or want to work primarily from a single location.

• You want to do 100% R&D and don’t enjoy customer interactions.

• You’ve never programmed in C, C++, or Rust.

What you'll do:

• Deploy with customers on site globally (~50% travel) to support software integration and development activities.

• Become an expert user of the Hivemind enterprise software stack and its various autonomy modules.

• Provide technical support and training to customers.

• Develop AI & Autonomy applications using the Shield AI enterprise software development kit.

• Assist the sales team in pre-sales activities, e.g., demos, conferences, immersions.

• Assist in post-sales deployment and integration of Shield AI enterprise software products.

• Develop and maintain technical documentation and training materials.

• Help customers debug software/API integration issues.

• Collaborate with the product engineering team to address customer feedback and improve products.

Required qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.

• 5+ years of experience of industry experience.

• 2+ years of experience in an integration/applications engineering role.

• 2+ years of experience working in a startup environment.

• Strong technical background in software engineering.

• Strong proficiency in writing modern C++ code.

• Intermediate proficiency in writing Python code.

• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills.

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience in the defense aviation or robotics industry.

• Experience building and running a small enterprise software applications/solutions engineering team.

• Advanced technical degree, especially in robotics or autonomy related fields.