POSTING ACTIVE · REQ-F2355 · FY25.Q4
Ground Control Station (GCS) Software Engineer (R3963)
Shield AI
[ COMPENSATION RANGE · ANNUAL · BASE ]
$130,000 – $250,000USD
MIDPOINT
$190,000
SPREAD
$120,000
LEVEL
LEAD
TECHNICAL STACK · 3 TAGS
§ 01OVERVIEW
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 www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
Job Description:
We’re looking for a Software Engineer to join our team developing next-generation Ground Control Station (GCS) applications for unmanned aerial systems (UAS). This role is ideal for engineers with a strong foundation in real-time, performance-sensitive software who also bring experience with modern web technologies.
You’ll work on mission-critical software that bridges responsive user interfaces with robust backend systems, enabling human operators to plan, command, and monitor autonomous assets with precision and reliability.
§ 02WHAT YOU'LL DO
- Design, develop, and optimize ground control software that enables low-latency communication with UAVs and other autonomous platforms.
- Build high-performance client and server applications that support telemetry processing, mission planning, and real-time control.
- Implement responsive user interfaces with React and TypeScript for operator workflows and visualization of spatial data, sensor feeds, and mission state.
- Collaborate closely with teams across autonomy, embedded systems, backend, and UX to deliver integrated, field-ready solutions.
- Contribute to architectural decisions and system designs that ensure responsiveness, scalability, and fault-tolerance.
- Lead development efforts on key features or subsystems, from early design through deployment and iteration.
- Write high-quality, well-tested code and participate in peer design/code reviews.
§ 03REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Senior: Bachelor’s degree with 5+ years of relevant experience, or Masters with 4+ years, or PhD with 2+ years.
- Staff: Bachelor’s degree with 7+ years of relevant experience, or Masters with 6+ years, or PhD with 4+ years.
- Senior Staff: Bachelor’s degree with 10+ years of relevant experience, or Masters with 9+ years, or PhD with 7+ years.
- Demonstrated experience building real-time or performance-sensitive applications—preferably for UAVs, robotics, autonomous vehicles, or simulation environments.
- Proficiency in a strongly typed programming language (e.g. C#, TypeScript, Java, C++) with exposure to lower-level systems or protocol integration.
- Experience with web technologies, especially React, TypeScript/JavaScript, and Node.js.
- Strong software engineering fundamentals including version control, testing, debugging, and performance profiling.
- Proven ability to deliver high-quality software as part of a collaborative engineering team.
§ 04PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience with GCS software, mission planning tools, or real-time visualization platforms.
- Familiarity with API-driven systems using REST or gRPC, and communication protocols like WebSocket or custom telemetry formats.
- Knowledge of standards such as STANAG 4586, Cursor on Target (CoT), or MAVLink.
- Familiarity with containerized environments (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes) and CI/CD practices.
- Exposure to distributed systems and cloud integration for telemetry data pipelines.
- Understanding of security best practices in control systems and networked applications.
#LI-AA1
#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.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
- How much does the Ground Control Station (GCS) Software Engineer (R3963) at Shield AI pay?
- The posting lists a range of $130K–$250K per year. Ranges reflect what Shield AI publicly declared on the source posting.
- Where is this Ground Control Station (GCS) Software Engineer (R3963) role based?
- The role is based in Dallas, Texas.
- What experience does Shield AI expect for this role?
- The posting is tagged as a lead-level role, typically 7+ years of experience. Check the requirements section for specifics.
- Where is Shield AI headquartered?
- Shield AI is headquartered in San Diego, USA.
- How was this posting sourced?
- This role was pulled directly from Shield AI's Lever careers site. Apply links open in the employer's own ATS — no reposts or aggregator middleware.
[ APPLICATION ROUTE ]LEVER · External ATS
APPLY VIA LEVER→Apply links open in the employer's official ATS. Always verify recruitment messages on the company's careers page before sharing personal information.
[ SHARE THIS ROLE ]