Principal Engineer, Software; R5285

Job Title

Special Projects - Software Engineer (Generative AI Experience)

Charleston, WV (Remote)

Shield AI (Defense‑tech, venture‑backed, founded 2015)

The Special Projects team, part of the Office of the CTO, consists of senior software engineering experts (L5-L8) from diverse fields. The team steers technology development toward strategic alignment with the CTO’s vision, contributing to Hivemind products (EdgeOS, Pilot, Forge, Commander). This role focuses on designing and prototyping generative AI experiences to accelerate autonomy development, working closely with the Office of the CTO and product teams.

• Design and prototype generative AI experiences focused on accelerating autonomy development
• Work closely with members of the Office of the CTO to crystallize the vision of the Hivemind product and its documentation
• Lead the user experience design of Hivemind Generative AI
• Work with technical leads of Hivemind Commander and Hivemind Design to enhance user experience
• Conduct user research to understand user personae and their needs
• Investigate competing products and their user experiences, synthesize findings to present to engineering and product leadership

• 15+ years experience developing large, production‑quality software systems
• Excellent grasp of software development and coding principles with high productivity in a mainstream language (e.g., Typescript, C++, Go, Python, Rust)
• Strong knowledge of modern software engineering best practices; experience with Git and code management tools; good software hygiene regarding code documentation, unit testing, bug tracking
• 5+ years of experience with React/Node/Typescript/Java script development
• 5+ years of experience with Web application development (Front‑End or Full‑stack)
• Deep understanding of full‑stack web development (DOM, browser APIs, standards, semantics, Websockets, HTTP Streaming, SSE, client and UI state management; best practices for React‑based rendering, advanced SPA routing, URL‑based state persistence, sharing mechanisms, seamless content loading states and progressive rendering techniques)
• Multi‑modal input handling (text, files, images, audio); experience with client‑side LLM context management
• Fluid intelligence to operate effectively in ambiguous conditions, driving technical efforts and force‑multiplying
• Experience with Linux, Docker, and CI/CD environments
• Hands‑on experience with a major cloud platform (Azure, GCP, AWS)
• This role requires travel to a Shield AI location 1–3 times per quarter

• Experience with geospatial data and WebGL
• Experience with Playwright UI testing
• Experience with Electron (or similar)
• Building debugging/inspection UIs for generative AI systems
• Experience with user experience design for video games
• Experience designing for “Low Code” or “No Code” systems
• Experience and/or comfort reading C++ and/or Python and/or Typescript

Full‑time regular employee:
Pay within the range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity. Temporary employee:
Pay within the range listed plus temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment). Salary influenced by skill set, experience, licenses, certifications, and work location. All offers contingent on cleared background and possible reference check.

This role requires travel to a Shield AI location 1–3 times per quarter. Shield AI is an equal opportunity employer.