Senior Software Engineer, Hardware Test
Dallas Metro Area
Aircraft Division – Engineering /
Full Time Employee /
On-site
Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With offices in San Diego, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Boston, Abu Dhabi (UAE), Kyiv (Ukraine), and Melbourne (Australia), Shield AI’s technology actively supports U.S. and allied operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn,X, YouTubeand Instagram.
Job Description:
Shield AI’s mission is to protect the lives of service members and civilians with intelligent systems. The Hardware Test Engineering team contributes to this effort by designing test solutions that drive high hardware reliability on our V-BAT vehicle. These solutions are in-house designed electrical and mechanical equipment used to perform component and system-level testing, both at ambient and in simulated harsh environmental conditions.
In this role, you will take ownership of software that automates critical hardware testing processes, integrates results into our broader production systems, and enables scalability across dozens of test stands. You will work closely with engineers across electrical, mechanical, and software disciplines to ensure that our test infrastructure is robust, efficient, and deeply integrated with our development and manufacturing workflows. We are looking for someone with at least 3 years of industry experience who thrives in a fast-paced environment and is passionate about developing clean, maintainable, and impactful code that directly affects the reliability of cutting-edge aerospace systems.
What you'll do:
- Use Python to automate complex hardware test sequences and log results in production databases.
- Design and maintain modular, scalable software infrastructure to support rapid development of new test cases.
- Write and maintain robust drivers that interface with test equipment, sensors, and embedded systems.
- Develop infrastructure to enable rapid imaging and deployment of test stand servers.
- Build intuitive dashboards and data visualizations using tools like Grafana or similar.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with hardware, software, and manufacturing teams to drive product and process improvements.
- Participate in design/code reviews and advocate for changes that improve test coverage, maintainability, and system performance.
- Troubleshoot, debug, and resolve system issues across hardware and software boundaries.
- Other duties as assigned.
Required qualifications:
- B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related STEM field.
- Minimum of 3 years of hands-on, post-college industry experience in a software engineering role, ideally involving hardware interaction or test infrastructure.
- Strong foundation in computer science fundamentals, with demonstrated ability to apply them in real-world systems.
- Advanced Python development skills, including experience building modular and reusable code.
- Proficient with Linux environments, including Bash scripting, system administration, and networking basics.
- Experience configuring and maintaining small to mid-scale networks and deploying code to distributed systems.
- Demonstrated history of ownership over complex technical projects and delivery of impactful results.
- Track record of collaboration, accountability, and driving quality in fast-moving teams.
- Record of working hard, being a trustworthy teammate, holding yourself and others to high standards, and being kind to others.
Preferred qualifications:
- Hands-on experience interfacing with circuit boards, sensors, motors, or embedded systems.
- Experience building or maintaining automated hardware test systems.
- Familiarity with electronics test equipment (e.g., oscilloscopes, multimeters, power supplies).
- Experience writing hardware drivers or software to interact with serial interfaces, I2C, SPI, or CAN.
- Exposure to CI/CD systems and deploying test infrastructure at scale.
- Demonstrated adaptability and problem-solving under pressure in highly technical environments.
$113,348 - $170,022 a year
#LI-JM2
#LC
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.
###
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.
