Staff Field Solution Engineer - XBAT - AMER (R6265)

Shield AI; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Benefits

Equity

Job summary

Shield AI is hiring a Senior Solutions Engineer to lead technical pre-sales for a flagship aircraft program, interfacing with senior government stakeholders, BD, and engineering leadership. You will shape requirements, align product roadmaps with mission needs, and develop compelling technical narratives for proposals.

The role requires a track record in defense/aerospace, strong presenting skills, and experience with group 5 UAS or tactical aircraft.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in technical sales, capture, or engineering roles in defense/aerospace
• Proven experience interfacing with U.S. DoD and/or international defence ministries
• Excellent presentation and narrative-building skills for diverse leadership audiences
• Experience with programs involving tactical aircraft, fighter jets, or group 5 UAS
• Proven track record contributing to deals valued over $15M
• Clearability or ability to obtain active U.S. security clearance

Responsibilities

• Lead pre-sales engagements for a new advanced aircraft platform targeting high-end tactical missions
• Collaborate with senior leaders to influence product definition and customer-concepts alignment
• Support technical capture for domestic and international opportunities (AOAs, RFIs, requirements, proposals)
• Shape customer needs into system requirements, roadmaps, and program strategies
• Develop technical narratives and lead content for briefings, RFIs, and proposals
• Build relationships with customer technical stakeholders including DoD and foreign governments
• Assess market signals, competitor activity, and technical feasibility to inform investment decisions
• Represent Shield AI solutions across autonomy, AI pilots, ISR systems, and mission software during pre-sales lifecycle

Skills

Technical sales

DoD/defense programs

Communication/presentation

Systems-level aircraft design concepts

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or equivalent

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

Shield AI is hiring a Senior Solutions Engineer to support technical sales for a flagship aircraft program currently in early design and development. This role requires a proven leader who has supported large-scale domestic and international defense programs in the conceptual or pre-solicitation phase — ideally in tactical aviation or high-performance unmanned systems. This position will serve as a key technical interface to senior government stakeholders, business development, and engineering leadership, shaping requirements and aligning our product roadmap with future mission needs.

What you'll do

• Serve as the technical lead supporting pre-sales engagements for a new advanced aircraft platform targeting high-end tactical missions.
• Collaborate with senior leaders across Business Development, Engineering, and Product Management to influence product definition, capability prioritization, and solution alignment with customer operational concepts.
• Support technical capture for domestic and international opportunities in early acquisition phases (e.g., AOAs, RFIs, Requirement Drafts, white papers, unsolicited proposals).
• Shape and translate customer needs into actionable system requirements, roadmaps, and program strategies.
• Develop compelling technical narratives and lead content development for briefings, RFIs, white papers, and proposal volumes.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with customer technical stakeholders (including U.S. DoD program offices and foreign governments).
• Contribute to internal investment decisions by assessing market signals, competitor activity, and technical feasibility.
• Represent the broader Shield AI solution suite (including autonomy, AI pilots, ISR systems, and mission software) across the pre-sales lifecycle.

Required qualifications

• 5+ years in technical sales, capture, or engineering roles in defense or aerospace industries, with significant experience interfacing with U.S. DoD and/or international ministries of defense.
• Demonstrated experience supporting government sales in pre-prototype or pre-solicitation phases.
• Demonstrated excellence in presentation skills, organization of technical ideas, and narrative building for a variety of stakeholders at leadership levels with direct customers.
• Experience with programs involving tactical aircraft, fighter jets, or group 5 UAS.
• Proven success contributing to deals valued over $15M.
• Strong systems-level understanding of aircraft design tradeoffs, customer CONOPS, and mission-based engineering.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, applied science, or equivalent technical discipline.
• Outstanding communication skills, with the ability to clearly translate technical information into compelling sales narratives for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to manage ambiguity, balance competing priorities, and operate independently in a fast-paced startup environment.
• Active U.S. security clearance or ability to obtain one.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience working at a major defense prime (e.g., Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Atomics, Anduril, RTX) or USG in a technical business development, engineering, product management, advanced programs, or strategic pursuits capacity.
• Background in multi-domain operations, autonomy, or networked ISR systems.
• Familiarity with key acquisition programs (e.g., NGAD, CCA, FMS/DCS pathways).
• Advanced degree in engineering or business with applicable focus areas.
• Prior military service experience.
• Prefer relocation to Dallas, TX or Washington DC

$180,000 - $280,000 a year

Pay range is based on On Target Earnings (OTE)

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.

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.