Staff Software Engineer, GCS - Full Stack (R5192) at Shield AI in United States

Job description

• Application
• 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.
• The Ground Control Station (GCS) and Command & Control (C2) Software team builds the mission planning, command & control, and post-mission debrief systems that enable operators to seamlessly manage complex, multi-domain unmanned missions. We combine modern map-centric interfaces, web technologies, and robust backend services to deliver a world-class operator experience across air, maritime, space, and effects/expendables. In this role, you will focus on building modern, web-based GCS applications, advanced mission planners, post-mission debrief utilities, and general C2 interfaces. You will work across a modern, full-stack ecosystem (utilizing frontend web frameworks, responsive mapping libraries, and robust backend services) to translate autonomous platform capabilities into intuitive, low-latency, and highly reliable control systems.
• In this role, you will design and develop major GCS features, mentor mid-level engineers, and represent the GCS/C2 team directly to autonomy capability teams, flight operations, and external partners. It's a hands-on role for engineers who enjoy designing user-facing controls and mission-critical systems and want to see their code drive complex real-world operations.

Responsibilities

• Develop & Field Web-Based GCS/C2 Software — Design, develop, and optimize high-performance, responsive GCS software and C2 applications, utilizing modern web technologies (e.g., React, TypeScript, Node.js, Go) to build map-centric mission planning, real-time command & control, video streaming, and telemetry visualization interfaces.
• Technical Leadership — Own technical direction for major GCS features and full-stack subsystems; architect frontend/backend architectures, design robust APIs, and lead technical decision-making within your project area.
• Collaboration Across Teams — Act as a primary technical interface with the Autonomy Capabilities team, Perception team, flight operations, and external partners (platform integrators, C2 providers, and vehicle vendors); author and negotiate APIs, REST/WebSocket schemas, and interface contracts rather than just consume them.
• Mentorship & Growth — Mentor mid-level engineers on the team; partner with managers on onboarding, leveling, and growth planning. Formally onboard senior new hires.
• Design, UX, & Documentation — Drive design reviews, UI/UX prototyping, and API/ICD definitions; champion modern frontend and backend development practices, rigorous unit/integration testing, and developer/operator documentation to close process gaps that span teams.
• Pre-deployment Preparation — Own the build, configuration, and validation process for mission-ready ground stations and C2 web servers; coordinate hardware/software compatibility, UI/UX readiness, and containerized release cadence.
• On-site Test & Mission Support — Travel to test sites and support live mission operations (flight tests, range exercises, on-water trials, integration events), working closely with operators and pilots to gather feedback, debug live C2 systems, and troubleshoot web interfaces and network configurations under time-critical field constraints.
• System Debugging & Performance Tuning — Diagnose and resolve integration issues across GCS/C2 stacks, radio links, and telemetry streams — including UI rendering bottlenecks, API latency, database query optimization, and network latency profiling under operationally-representative loads.
• Mission Data & Debrief Support — Architect and implement post-mission debrief utilities and telemetry analysis tools that parse, play back, and visualize telemetry, logs, and payload data for rapid post-mission analysis and issue reproduction.
• Continuous Improvement — Build tools and automation scripts to improve C2 deployment pipelines, test/mission reliability, and simulation-based operator testing.
• C2 Interoperability & Standards — Own compliance and integration with command-and-control standards and architectures (e.g., A-GRA, UCI, OMS, STANAG 4586, MAVLink).
• Hiring — Interview candidates, help define the skills bar for open roles in your area, and onboard new engineers into your sub-program.
• Travel Requirement — Members of this team typically travel around 10-20% of the year (to support field integration, customer demonstrations, or test events).

Requirements

• BS/MS in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• Typically requires a minimum of 7 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 6 years and a Master’s degree; or 4 years with a PhD; or equivalent work experience.
• Experience with modern frontend frameworks (e.g., React, TypeScript) and building rich, interactive user experiences in responsive web-based applications.
• Experience full-stack or building backend in C/C++, Python, TypeScript, or Go, including service orchestration, command/status interfaces, and data pipelines between UI, ground services, and vehicle-side components.
• Deep familiarity with networked and distributed systems, including UDP/TCP transport, custom binary protocols, reliable messaging, pub-sub/IPC middleware, and serialization/IDL tooling.
• Experience using AI-assisted development tools to accelerate software design, implementation, debugging, testing, and code review while maintaining strong engineering judgment, validation discipline, and ownership of final technical decisions.
• Experience working with databases, including relational (e.g., PostgreSQL) or NoSQL databases, with preference for experience handling spatial/geographic data (e.g., PostGIS).
• Demonstrated experience owning a major software capability or system from architecture through field delivery.
• Track record of mentoring engineers and growing technical talent.
• Experience authoring or negotiating interface contracts, API specifications (e.g., OpenAPI/Swagger), or ICDs with internal or external stakeholders.
• Strong debugging and profiling skills, including diagnosing browser rendering bottlenecks, API latencies, and network connectivity issues.
• Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance.
• Experience with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), web mapping libraries (e.g., Maplibre GL, Leaflet, CesiumJS, OpenLayers), and 2D/3D spatial data visualization.
• Familiarity with video streaming protocols and multimedia frameworks in a web environment (e.g., WebRTC, HLS, RTSP-to-Web gateways, GStreamer, FFmpeg).
• Experience developing post-mission telemetry analysis, log parsing, or interactive web-based playback/debrief systems.
• Experience with containerization and orchestration (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes, k3s/k3d) and deploying C2 services to local, edge, or cloud environments.
• Experience with platform control / autopilot protocols (e.g., MAVLink, STANAG 4586) or DoD C2 standards (e.g., A-GRA, UCI, OMS).
• Experience working closely with flight operators, pilots, or military stakeholders to gather feedback and refine user workflows.
• Active Secret or Top Secret clearance.

Skills

Required

• AI-assisted development tools
• Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance

Preferred

• Active Secret or Top Secret clearance

Benefits

• Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
• 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.