Staff Engineer, DevOps (5431)

Shield AI; San Diego (TX); On-site; USD 150,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI in the United States is building autonomous aircraft and seeks a DevOps Build Engineer to own the build system for XBAT/VBAT. You will focus on DevEx and implement best practices to accelerate development cycles.

You will be the expert on the native C++ build, reduce pipeline bottlenecks, integrate CI with simulation environments, and create monitoring dashboards to track performance across local development and CI.

Qualifications

• BS in CS, CE, EE, or related field with 7+ years industry experience (or MS/PhD with 5+ years).
• Deep CMake/C++ expertise or equivalent.
• Strong understanding of dependency management and proficiency with either Conan or CPM.
• Proficiency with containers and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes, cloud build clusters).
• Strong scripting skills (Python, Bash).
• Hands-on experience integrating automated testing into CI pipelines.
• Demonstrated success improving developer productivity at scale.
• Demonstrated track record of excellence as a primary contributor on projects - showcasing the ability to navigate through development cycles, obstacles, and deliver high-quality solutions in a fast-paced environment
• Proficiency with CICD tools (Azure DevOps, Jenkins, Gitlab).
• Cloud Operations experience (Azure, AWS, GCP).
• Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, Ansible) and monitoring (Grafana, Prometheus).
• Background in robotics, autonomy, or aerospace systems.

Responsibilities

• Be the expert on our native (C++) software build process.
• Improve developer velocity by reducing build/test cycle time and eliminating pipeline bottlenecks.
• Collaborate with Software Engineers to understand their requirements, propose designs, and implement identified solutions.
• Partner with developers to resolve build/test failures quickly and set best practices for integration.
• Integrate CI pipelines with HIL and simulation environments for automated validation.
• Implement monitoring, dashboards, and alerts related to build system performance for both local development and CI workflows.
• Use agentic solutions to aid in quickly identifying root cause around build failures and getting the appropriate feedback to a Software Engineer.

Skills

CMake/C++

Dependency management

Conan/CPM

Containers/Kubernetes

Python

CI/CD

Cloud platforms

Scripting

Robotics/Aerospace

Education

BS in CS/CE/EE or related, 7+ years

MS/PhD with 5+ years

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Terraform

Ansible

Grafana

Prometheus

Azure DevOps

Jenkins

GitLab CI

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 .

Job Description:

Shield AI is building autonomous aircraft that redefine aviation. The Software Integration & Operations (SIO) team builds the pipelines, tools, and systems that make fast, reliable delivery of complex aircraft software possible.

As a DevOps Build Engineer, you will own and maintain the build system for our autonomous aircraft (XBAT/VBAT). This role is primarily focused on Developer Experience (DevEx) and bringing DevOps best practices to our software engineers to accelerate their development cycles.

What you'll do:

• Be the expert on our native (C++) software build process.
• Improve developer velocity by reducing build/test cycle time and eliminating pipeline bottlenecks.
• Collaborate with Software Engineers to understand their requirements, propose designs, and implement identified solutions.
• Partner with developers to resolve build/test failures quickly and set best practices for integration.
• Integrate CI pipelines with HIL and simulation environments for automated validation.
• Implement monitoring, dashboards, and alerts related to build system performance for both local development and CI workflows.
• Use agentic solutions to aid in quickly identifying root cause around build failures and getting the appropriate feedback to a Software Engineer.

Required qualifications:

• BS in CS, CE, EE, or related field with 7+ years industry experience (or MS/PhD with 5+ years).
• Deep CMake/C++ expertise or equivalent.
• Strong understanding of dependency management and proficiency with either Conan or CPM.
• Proficiency with containers and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes, cloud build clusters).
• Strong scripting skills (Python, Bash).
• Hands-on experience integrating automated testing into CI pipelines.
• Demonstrated success improving developer productivity at scale.
• Demonstrated track record of excellence as a primary contributor on projects - showcasing the ability to navigate through development cycles, overcome obstacles, and deliver high-quality solutions in a fast-paced environment
• Proficiency with CICD tools (Azure DevOps, Jenkins, Gitlab).
• Cloud Operations experience (Azure, AWS, GCP).
• Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, Ansible) and monitoring (Grafana, Prometheus).
• Background in robotics, autonomy, or aerospace systems.

$150,000 - $220,000 a year

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.

Equal Opportunity

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.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.