Forward Deployed Engineer, Autonomy (open level)
Shield AI is hiring a Forward Deployed Engineer, Autonomy (open level) for a remote role open to applicants in United States. It pays $152k-$318k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Level.
AI in this role
Deploy autonomous software and AI products on-site with international defense customers.
Our Applications Engineers are highly technical, customer-facing problem solvers who play a critical role in deploying Shield AI’s Hivemind software in real-world environments. This role is travel-intensive, with frequent trips, often international, and sometimes lasting multiple weeks, to work directly alongside customers on-site.
This is primarily a Senior-level role, and we’re typically looking for candidates with several years of relevant industry experience. That said, we will consider exceptional mid-level engineers who demonstrate strong technical fundamentals, a hands-on mindset, and a track record of taking initiative in dynamic, customer-driven environments
In this role, you will work closely with customers to understand their requirements, provide technical expertise during deployment, and ensure successful integration of our AI and autonomy products. You’ll also collaborate internally with engineering teams, with opportunities to grow into technical leadership over time.
You Should Apply If:
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You’re excited about a travel-heavy role and enjoy being on-site with customers, including international and multi-week engagements
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You’re a strong technical contributor (or early in your career and eager to grow) who takes initiative and figures things out
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You enjoy problem solving, building relationships, and working at the intersection of engineering and real-world deployment
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You’re passionate about autonomy, robotics, or aerospace
You Should Not Apply If:
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You prefer minimal travel or want to work primarily from a single location
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You want to do 100% R&D and don’t enjoy customer interactions
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You’ve never programmed in C, C++, or Rust
How we rate this
Forward Deployed Engineer, Autonomy (open level) at Shield AI rates 70 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Works on AI (AI Level 3 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.
Works on AI. The daily work is on AI products, without building the model.
- ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
- ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
- ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
- ●○○○ Little AI0 to 39
Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Open the description and count.
Prepare for this job
Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.
Skills and AI tools this role asks for
Also common in forward deployed engineer jobs at this level
Pay
- This job starts at
- $152k
- Typical forward deployed engineer job
- $182k
This posting starts 16% below the typical forward deployed engineer job. See forward deployed engineer jobs
Questions you could be asked
- Tell me about a project where robotics was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where autonomy was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where customer facing was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where deployment was part of your work. What did you do?
- Walk me through how you've used C in your day-to-day work.
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: Robotics, Autonomy, Customer Facing, Deployment, and C. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
- Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
- Show where AI is part of your daily process, not a one-off project. This role expects it to be a running habit.
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