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Chief Engineer, Weapons

Shield AI

London / United Kingdom

Hybrid

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About this role

The Chief Engineer at Shield AI is responsible for solving complex technical challenges in deploying advanced autonomy solutions on unmanned weapon systems.

As the chief authority on system architecture, design, development, risk mitigation, and product quality, the Chief Engineer ensures the successful integration of Hivemind Autonomy across a range of unmanned weapon systems.

This role is part of the Hivemind Solutions organization and leads a team of engineers to deliver cutting-edge autonomous capabilities for business-to-business and defense contracts. The ideal candidate has defense industry experience as a Chief Engineer and a proven track record of leading technical teams to develop and deploy autonomous weapon systems.

What you'll do:

Serve as the Chief Engineer on Shield AI projects focused on developing and deploying autonomy solutions for unmanned weapon systems.

Lead a team responsible for advancing Hivemind Autonomy and shaping defense autonomy architectures.

Define and assign technical objectives, make key engineering decisions, and ensure the quality and completeness of all technical deliverables.

Provide technical leadership and oversight across both Internal Research and Development (IRAD) initiatives and defense contracts.

Required qualifications:

BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering, and/or similar degree

10+ years of industry experience in autonomy and/or unmanned weapon systems (e.g., defense tech, self-driving cars, etc.)

7+ years of delivering software into production/certifiable environments with high reliability

Understanding of guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) (e.g., controls, estimation, planning)

Understanding of the robotics stack (e.g., controls, estimation, perception, planning, etc.)

Understanding of software development processes and how to effectively deploy software

Experience defining technical scope and managing technical requirements, product architectures, ICDs, and other system-level design documentation

Demonstrated problem-solving skills through the application of a scientific and technical approach

Customer-facing engineering leadership supporting both defense and internally funded development programs

Ability to contribute to government contract proposal writing

Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal

Excellent leadership skills, with experience leading a team of 6–20 engineers

Preffered Qualificatons:

UK security clearance

Skills & Technologies

Autonomous Driving Path Planning

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Job Details

Company: Shield AI
Location: London / United Kingdom
Work Type: Hybrid
Posted: August 25, 2026
Source freshness: Seen on employer source 7h ago

About Shield AI

Shield AI is building the world's best AI pilot. Their Hivemind AI powers autonomous aircraft for defense applications, enabling drones to fly missions in GPS-denied environments without communications.

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