Senior Staff Engineer, Systems (R5012)

Shield AI

Shield AI

San Diego, CA, USA

USD 170k-250k / year + Equity

Posted on May 22, 2026
Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the 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:

We are seeking a Lead Cybersecurity Engineer to own and lead all cybersecurity activities across X-Bat and its associated mission systems, networks, ground systems, and support infrastructure. This role directly impacts mission survivability, operational resiliency, platform accreditation, and program execution by ensuring cybersecurity is architected, integrated, validated, and sustained across the entire system lifecycle.

The engineer will serve as the central authority for platform cybersecurity, driving secure system design, cyber resilience, RMF execution, compliance, vulnerability management, and cross-domain integration activities. This position plays a critical role in reducing cyber risk, enabling airworthiness and accreditation, and ensuring the platform can operate effectively in contested and denied environments.

What you'll do:

  • Own the platform cybersecurity strategy and architecture across aircraft systems, mission systems, networks, ground systems, datalinks, and support infrastructure
  • Define cybersecurity requirements, system behaviors, security architectures, threat models, and operational workflows to ensure resilient and survivable mission operations
  • Lead RMF execution, accreditation activities, STIG implementation, vulnerability management, and security compliance efforts to support program milestones and operational fielding
  • Drive cross-functional integration between systems engineering, avionics, software, networking, mission systems, test, and airworthiness teams to embed cybersecurity throughout the platform lifecycle
  • Support cybersecurity testing, incident response, root cause analysis, and risk mitigation activities across lab, ground, and flight test environments to improve platform resiliency and mission readiness

Required qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical field
  • 8+ years of experience in cybersecurity engineering, defense systems, mission systems, or military aerospace programs
  • Experience leading cybersecurity activities for complex integrated systems or defense platforms
  • Strong knowledge of RMF, STIGs, system hardening, network security, secure architectures, and vulnerability management processes
  • Experience working across hardware, software, networking, and mission system integration environments

Preferred qualifications:

  • Experience supporting military aircraft, UAV, mission systems, or tactical communication platforms
  • Familiarity with resilient system architectures, zero trust principles, cross-domain solutions, and contested environment operations
  • Experience with MBSE methodologies and tools such as Cameo Systems Modeler
  • Background supporting cybersecurity test events, airworthiness, or platform accreditation activities
  • Active Secret or Top Secret clearance preferred
#LI-AD6
#LE
Full-time regular employee offer package:
Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
Temporary employee offer package:
Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)
Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.
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Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.

170000 - 250000 USD a year

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