Overview

Job DescriptionJob Description 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 . Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube. Job Description: 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 deep desktop application development, modern map-centric interfaces, robust backend integrations, and platform-specific control protocols to deliver a world-class operator experience across air, maritime, space, and effects/expendables. In this role, you will focus on building Ground Control Station software, advanced mission planners, post-mission debrief utilities, and general C2 interfaces. You will work across C++, Qt/QML, QGroundControl (QGC), and full-stack technologies 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.What you'll do: Develop & Field GCS/C2 Software - Design, develop, and optimize high-performance, responsive GCS software and C2 applications, focusing on map-centric mission planning, real-time command & control, video streaming, and telemetry visualization. Customize and extend QGroundControl (QGC) or related Qt/C++ frameworks to support custom vehicle protocols and multi-agent operations.Technical Leadership - Own technical direction for major GCS features and systems; architect UI/UX layouts, design robust client/server interfaces, 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, ICDs, 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 ICD definition; champion rigorous coding standards, 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; coordinate hardware/software compatibility, UI/UX readiness, and release cadence with capability and feature teams.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 interfaces under time-critical field constraints.Hardware/Software Debugging - Diagnose and resolve integration issues across complex GCS/C2 stacks, radio links, payload controls, and telemetry streams - including UI responsiveness bottlenecks, memory leaks, and network latency profiling under operationally-representative loads.Mission Data & Debrief Support - Architect and implement post-mission debrief utilities and telemetry ana