Ground System Full Stack Software Engineer (R4787)

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 [](https://shield.ai/). Follow Shield AI on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/shield-ai), [X](https://x.com/shieldaitech), [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/shield_ai), and [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@Shield_AI). ### Job Description: We are seeking a highly motivated Ground System Software Engineer to design, develop, and maintain software systems for the X-BAT Platform. This role focuses on building robust ground control stations, mission planning tools, communication interfaces, and infrastructure that enable the X-BAT mission, and supports operational requirements safe and efficient drone operations. You'll work at the intersection of all major components of the X-BAT Platform and its systems, providing user-facing applications to operate X-BAT and supporting equipment or vehicles, and will be collaborating closely with our Aircraft Software, Hivemind, and Flight Test teams to design this state-of-the-art ground system. ### What you'll do - Design, develop, and optimize next-gen ground control software that enables low-latency communication with UAVs and other autonomous platforms. - Build high-performance full-stack applications that support telemetry processing and fusion, mission planning, and real-time situational awareness. - Implement responsive user interfaces with React and TypeScript for telemetry readout and sensor feeds, operator workflows, and mission/vehicle state. - Collaborate closely with teams across autonomy, embedded systems, human factors, and UX to deliver integrated, field-ready solutions. - Contribute to architectural decisions and system designs that ensure responsiveness, scalability, and fault-tolerance. - Lead and/or participate in development efforts on key features or subsystems, from early design through deployment and iteration. - Write high-quality, well-tested code and participate in peer design/code reviews. ### Required qualifications: - Senior: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Robotics, or a related field with 5+ years of professional software development experience, or Masters with 4+ years, or PhD with 2+ years. - Staff: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Robotics, or a related field with 7+ years of professional software development experience, or Masters with 6+ years, or PhD with 4+ years. - Senior Staff: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Robotics, or a related field with 9+ years of professional software development experience, or Masters with 8+ years, or PhD with 6+ years. - Proficiency in a strongly typed programming language (e.g. C#, TypeScript, Java, C++) with exposure to lower-level systems or protocol integration. - Experience with web technologies, especially React, TypeScript/JavaScript, and Node.js. - Strong software engineering fundamentals including version control, testing, debugging, and performance profiling. - Proven ability to deliver high-quality software as part of a collaborative engineering team. - Experience building distributed systems or networked applications - Experience developing user interfaces (e.g., React, Vue, QT, or similar frameworks) - Strong debugging, problem solving, and system integration skills - Speed and proficiency without the use of Generative AI tools (due to the nature of our work, these are prohibited) - Ability to work in a fast-paced, cross-functional engineering environment - Ability to obtain security clearance ### Preferred qualifications: - Experience with GCS software, mission planning tools, or real-time visualization platforms. - Familiarity with API-driven systems using REST or gRPC, and communication protocols like WebSocket or custom telemetry formats. - Knowledge of standards such as STANAG 4586, Cursor on Target (CoT), or MAVLink. - Experience with UAS platforms and AI/ML systems. - Familiarity with containerized environments (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes) and CI/CD practices. - Exposure to distributed systems and cloud integration for telemetry data pipelines and sensor fusion. - Understanding of security best practices in control systems and networked applications. - Exposure to cybersecurity best practices for embedded or distributed systems, preferably within Gov and/or Defense environments