Senior Software Engineer, Networking & OS (R5488)

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, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. 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:

As a Senior Software Engineer (Networking & OS) on V-BAT, you will be instrumental in designing, implementing, and optimizing the network infrastructure for our Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) which is deployed in some of the most challenging environments worldwide. V-BAT is designed to operate in contested, GNSS-denied airspace, and our network must maintain highly reliable, secure, and efficient communication between all air and ground devices.

What you'll do:

• Design and build custom, resilient Layer 2 / Layer 3 network topologies optimized specifically for V-BAT mission profiles, focusing on device isolation, dynamic traffic management, and transmitting traffic across multiple links.

• Implement networking features directly on embedded Linux operating systems, including custom routing, TUN/TAP interfaces, user-space tunnels, and socket-level applications.

• Work backward from operator capabilities to build bandwidth-optimized, low-latency communication paths over lossy or constrained radio and satellite links.

• Write clean, production-grade C, C++, or Python code to build things like software-defined network interfaces, traffic shaping policies, and link failover mechanisms.

• Partner with software engineers, hardware engineers, and field operators to validate end-to-end network performance in both hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) labs and flight test environments.

Required qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree with 5+ years of relevant experience, or Master’s with 4+ years, or PhD with 2+ years.

• Strong proficiency writing software in C, C++, or Python in a Linux environment, with a track record of shipping software that interacts directly with the OS networking stack.

• Deep understanding of Linux networking fundamentals (netlink, IP route/tables, iptables/nftables, TUN/TAP interfaces, Linux network namespaces, and socket programming).

• Solid grasp of Layer 2 and Layer 3 network fundamentals, custom routing protocols, VLAN tagging, QoS/traffic management, and VPN/tunneling mechanisms (e.g., OpenVPN, GRE, IPsec, or custom user-space tunnels).

• Practical experience troubleshooting network degradation using low-level tools (e.g., tcpdump, wireshark, iproute2, iperf) in lossy, high-latency, or bandwidth-constrained environments.

• Proven track record of successfully shipping products, showcasing the ability to navigate through development cycles, overcome obstacles, and deliver high-quality solutions to meet project deadlines and exceed expectations in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience developing embedded Linux networking applications using build systems like Yocto or OS-level customization tools.

• Experience working with RF and other hardware engineers to design network protocols and topologies which are tailored for a novel radio network design.

• Experience architecting network solutions for robotics, autonomous vehicles, aerospace, or edge computing hardware.

• Familiarity with network security, public key infrastructure (PKI), and cryptographic tunnels in embedded systems.

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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.