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:
The Hivemind Solutions Test Department is seeking a Senior Test Engineer (Software & Simulation Focus) to join our DC-based team. Since Shield AI's mission is to protect service members and civilians, The Hivemind Solutions Test Department makes this a reality by validating the reliability, safety, and performance of our world-class autonomy software.
You’ll lead simulation-driven testing, automation, and software quality efforts for Hivemind, building and executing test frameworks that ensure our autonomy software performs reliably across simulated and real-world mission environments.
Shield AI is growing quickly, and we're looking for someone who thrives in fast-paced environments, embraces learning, and brings a high-ownership, mission-driven mindset. This is a chance to have a real impact—advancing autonomy that protects lives—while working with a collaborative, high-performing team.
What you'll do:
Develop automated regression, integration, and system-level tests to ensure Hivemind software quality and stability across releases
Identify, reproduce, and diagnose software issues—collaborating closely with development teams to drive fixes and improvements
Create and execute test plans and documentation for autonomy software in simulated environments, ensuring mission and safety requirements are met
Design, implement, and maintain simulation-based test frameworks to validate Hivemind autonomy behavior and performance
Build tools and utilities in Python to automate testing, data processing, and analysis workflows
Develop test harnesses and data validation tools for Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) / Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) / Vehicle-in-the-Loop (VIL) and simulation environments
Contribute to the definition of testing methodologies, metrics, and performance benchmarks for autonomy software validation
Support the scaling and reliability of simulation infrastructure used for large-scale software validation
Maintain detailed and accurate test documentation, ensuring traceability and knowledge sharing across teams
Work with developers to integrate test coverage directly into the development pipeline (CI/CD)
Required qualifications:
Typically requires a minimum of 3-5 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 2-4 years and a Master’s degree; or 2 years with a PhD; or equivalent work experience
Proficiency in Python
Experience in robotics, small UAS, or related hands-on engineering projects
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and debugging skills
Passionate about intelligent aircraft systems
Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively with cross-functional software, hardware and mechanical engineering teams
Adaptability and a willingness to learn new technologies and methodologies quickly in a fast-paced environment
The ability to obtain and maintain a SECRET Clearance. US citizenship is required as only US citizens are eligible for a security clearance.
Preferred qualifications:
Experience testing autonomous systems, robotics software, or flight autonomy algorithms
Familiarity with C++ and software/hardware integration concepts.
Experience with HIL or VIL test environments.
Exposure to machine learning or AI-driven autonomy systems.
Background in simulation infrastructure design, distributed testing, or test data management.
Quality Assurance (QA) experience, including process definition, metrics, and validation tracking
Experience with aerospace, defense, or mission-critical software
Active SECRET clearance preferred
