Software Engineer, GCS - Full Stack; R5192

Founded in 2015, 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 and V‑BAT and X‑BAT aircraft. 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 (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). Follow Shield AI on Linked In, X, Instagram, and You Tube.

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 modern map‑centric interfaces, web technologies, and robust backend services to deliver a world‑class operator experience across air, maritime, space, and effects/expendables. In this role, you will focus on building modern, web‑based GCS applications, advanced mission planners, post‑mission debrief utilities, and general C2 interfaces.

You will work across a modern, full‑stack ecosystem (utilizing frontend web frameworks, responsive mapping libraries, and robust backend services) 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 is 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.

• Develop & Field Web‑Based GCS/C2 Software — Design, develop, and optimize high‑performance, responsive GCS software and C2 applications, utilizing modern web technologies (e.g., React, Type Script, Node.js, Go) to build map‑centric mission planning, real‑time command & control, video streaming, and telemetry visualization interfaces.
• Technical Leadership — Own technical direction for major GCS features and full‑stack subsystems; architect frontend/backend architectures, design robust APIs, 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, REST/Web Socket schemas, 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 API/ICD definitions; champion modern frontend and backend development practices, rigorous 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 and C2 web servers; coordinate hardware/software compatibility, UI/UX readiness, and containerised release cadence.
• 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 web interfaces and network configurations under time‑critical field constraints.
• System Debugging & Performance Tuning — Diagnose and resolve integration issues across GCS/C2 stacks, radio links, and telemetry streams — including UI rendering bottlenecks, API latency, database query optimisation, and network latency profiling under operationally‑representative loads.
• Mission Data & Debrief Support — Architect and implement post‑mission debrief utilities and telemetry analysis tools that parse, play back, and visualise telemetry, logs, and payload data for rapid post‑mission analysis and issue reproduction.
• Continuous…