Senior IT Operations Engineer (R6117)

Shield; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI in Dallas, Texas, seeks a Senior IT Systems Engineer to build, improve, and sustain classified infrastructure supporting engineering work.

You will manage compute, virtualization, storage, networking, identity, endpoints, and security tooling in air-gapped environments, work independently, and own work from design through testing and support.

Qualifications

• Must have experience designing and operating secure IT infrastructure.
• Ability to work across multiple IT domains and document processes.

Responsibilities

• Build, improve, and sustain classified infrastructure supporting engineering work.
• Manage compute, virtualization, storage, networking, identity, endpoints, and security tooling in air-gapped environments.
• Rack and image hardware, automate repeatable tasks, troubleshoot complex issues, and set technical standards across sites.

Job description

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.

Job Description:

The Senior IT Systems Engineer builds, improves, and sustains classified infrastructure supporting engineering work. The role covers compute, virtualization, storage, networking, identity, endpoints, and security tooling in standalone and air-gapped environments.

This is a hands-on senior individual contributor position. Responsibilities include racking and imaging hardware, building and hardening systems, automating repeatable work, troubleshooting difficult issues, and helping establish technical standards across sites. The engineer must be comfortable working independently, shifting across infrastructure disciplines when needed, and owning work from design through testing, documentation, and support.

The role sits between IT operations and accreditation. Systems must be secure, reliable, and ready for review by ISSMs and government assessors. Correct implementation the first time, backed by complete documentation and technical evidence, is an expected part of every build.