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Shield AI is seeking a Staff Engineer to lead technical direction and architecture for Human Machine Interface (HMI) capabilities across Hivemind Solutions products. This is a senior technical role focused on designing and delivering mission-critical applications for command and control, vehicle supervision, mission planning, system health monitoring, and post-mission debrief.
You will design and build map-centric, data-rich interfaces that convey vehicle state, autonomy intent, mission status, constraints, alerts, and degraded conditions. The role involves developing HMI using modern frontend technologies including React, TypeScript, HTML/CSS, and native desktop frameworks such as Qt/QML. You will architect robust data flows and interfaces between frontends, C++ services, backend systems, autonomy software, vehicle interfaces, simulation, payloads, telemetry, and video sources.
Key responsibilities include defining and negotiating APIs, data models, schemas, and interface contracts with internal teams and external partners; leading technical design reviews, code reviews, and architecture decisions; supporting simulation, operator-in-the-loop testing, system integration, flight test, and customer demonstrations; debugging complex HMI and mission-system issues spanning application performance, memory use, data freshness, networking, messaging, video, and vehicle integration; and mentoring engineers while providing technical leadership across frontend, HMI, and mission-system software.
Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation technologies. The company operates globally with offices across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Tertiary qualification in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, or related discipline
- Significant professional experience delivering complex user-facing software as a staff, principal, lead, or senior technical engineer
- Strong experience with modern HMI/frontend technology stacks (React, TypeScript, HTML/CSS, Qt/QML, or comparable frameworks)
- Strong C++ fundamentals and production experience with native software, backend services, integrations, or performance-sensitive systems
- Experience with APIs, distributed systems, asynchronous data flows, messaging, service integration, data models, and client/server architectures
- Experience developing interfaces that consume real-time, operationally significant, or high-rate data
- Demonstrated experience owning software capabilities from architecture through integration, testing, deployment, and operational support
- Strong debugging, profiling, technical communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills
- Experience mentoring engineers and leading technical decisions
- Ability to obtain and maintain an Australian Government security clearance
PREFERRED:
- Experience with uncrewed systems, aviation, robotics, autonomy, ground control stations, mission management, command and control, or defense systems
- Experience with geospatial/map-based applications, telemetry visualization, sensor/payload control, live video, or mission replay/debrief tools
- Familiarity with MAVLink, ROS/ROS 2, DDS, REST, WebSockets, STANAG 4586, or related mission-system technologies
- Experience with real-time, edge, bandwidth-constrained, disconnected, or degraded-network environments
- Familiarity with RTSP, WebRTC, GStreamer, H.264/H.265, GPU-accelerated visualization, or multimedia pipelines
- Experience with human factors, operator workflows, autonomy supervision, alerting, mode awareness, usability testing, or human-autonomy teaming
- Experience supporting field integration, flight test, range activity, customer demonstrations, or operational troubleshooting
- Defense industry experience and/or existing Australian Government security clearance
