What it is, where the jobs are, what it hires for and pays, and the open jobs today.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 09/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Shield AI is an American aerospace and defense technology company based in San Diego, California, United States. It develops artificial intelligence-powered fighter pilots, drones, and technology for defense operations. Its clients include the United States Special Operations Command, US Air Force, US Marine Corps, US Navy and several international militaries. The company’s small-unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) Nova became the first AI-powered drone to be deployed for defense purposes in US military history.
| Fact ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | San Diego |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Industry | defence industry, aerospace industry |
| Website | shield.ai |
Shield AI is hiring in 5 states and 7 cities. These are the places with the most openings, which tell you where its work really happens.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Open jobs ⇅ | Share ⇅ | Note ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | Washington | 185 | 41% | |
| Dallas | Texas | 128 | 29% | |
| San Diego | California | 79 | 18% | headquarters area |
| San Mateo | California | 28 | 6% | |
| Boston | Massachusetts | 7 | 2% | |
| Los Angeles | California | 4 | 1% | |
| Orlando | Florida | 1 | 0% |
The mix of roles shows what Shield AI needs right now. Pay is the median of the ranges the employer itself published in its ads (only roles with at least two published ranges).
| Role family ⇅ | Open jobs ⇅ | Typical posted range (median low – median high, yearly) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Software engineer / Developer | 98 | $163,200 – $255,000 |
| Mechanical / Manufacturing engineer | 85 | $142,000 – $220,000 |
| Engineer (other) | 61 | $150,000 – $230,000 |
| Electrical / Hardware engineer | 35 | $109,000 – $164,000 |
| Operations / Supply chain / Logistics | 22 | $140,000 – $220,000 |
| DevOps / Cloud / SRE | 20 | $150,000 – $230,000 |
| Project / Program manager | 16 | $160,000 – $250,000 |
| Recruiter / HR | 14 | $159,000 – $238,000 |
| Other roles | 14 | $174,400 – $261,600 |
| Administrative / Assistant | 8 | $120,000 – $180,000 |
| Financial analyst / Banking / Investments | 8 | $110,000 – $170,000 |
| Data scientist / Machine learning | 8 | $200,000 – $300,000 |
| Title ⇅ | Open jobs ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Staff Engineer | 66 |
| Senior Staff Engineer | 26 |
| Senior Engineer | 25 |
| Manager | 16 |
| Senior Manager | 11 |
| Engineer II | 11 |
| Senior Software Engineer | 8 |
| Director | 7 |
| Engineer I | 6 |
| Principal Engineer | 5 |
| Staff Software Engineer | 5 |
| Electrical Engineer I | 4 |
| Summer 2027 | 4 |
| Power Electronics | 4 |
| Senior Executive Recruiter | 3 |
442 of 447 listings (99%) publish a pay range. Across them the median range is $150,000 – $230,000 a year (the employer's own figures, converted to yearly; not a BLS statistic).
Most listings do not state a seniority level.
18 of 447 listings (4%) mention a remote or flexible location.
We counted how often Shield AI's own 447 ads (those with a full description) state each requirement. This shows the filters the ads apply before anyone reads a resume. We have no data on why candidates are rejected after applying, and we do not guess.
Years of experience. 346 of 447 ads (77%) state a number of years. The median is 7 years; 85% ask for 5 or more and 25% for 10 or more.
| Requirement ⇅ | Ads that state it ⇅ | Share of ads ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree | 222 | 50% |
| 'or equivalent experience' accepted | 152 | 34% |
| Master's degree | 130 | 29% |
| PhD or doctorate | 76 | 17% |
| Associate degree | 2 | 0% |
| High school diploma or GED | 2 | 0% |
| Requirement ⇅ | Ads that state it ⇅ | Share of ads ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Security clearance mentioned | 192 | 43% |
| U.S. citizenship mentioned | 47 | 11% |
| U.S. person / export-control (ITAR, EAR) rules | 45 | 10% |
| Work authorization required | 4 | 1% |
| Background check or drug test | 4 | 1% |
| Requirement ⇅ | Ads that state it ⇅ | Share of ads ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Travel mentioned | 76 | 17% |
| On-site or in-person work | 26 | 6% |
| Nights, weekends, holidays or on-call | 9 | 2% |
| Relocation mentioned | 8 | 2% |
| Heavy lifting | 3 | 1% |
| Requirement ⇅ | Ads that state it ⇅ | Share of ads ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| python | 131 | 29% |
| cad | 122 | 27% |
| c++ | 71 | 16% |
| solidworks | 70 | 16% |
| linux | 52 | 12% |
| excel | 37 | 8% |
| matlab | 29 | 6% |
| kubernetes | 21 | 5% |
| pmp | 16 | 4% |
| machine learning | 14 | 3% |
| jira | 11 | 2% |
| aws | 11 | 2% |
| sap | 10 | 2% |
| sql | 9 | 2% |
| typescript | 9 | 2% |
What the hiring process, culture, schedules and benefits are like is not in our sources, so we do not describe it. Read the job ads and the employer's own site.
Compare Shield AI side by side with another employer:
vs SpaceX vs JPMorgan Chase vs Apple vs TikTok vs Bank of America vs Deloitte vs Leidos vs OpenAI
447 open jobs today, 29 posted in the last 7 days (updated several times a day).
Mostly in Seattle, WA (185), Dallas, TX (128), San Diego, CA (79).