Senior Engineer, Software Integration (R5462)

Shield AI is hiring a Senior Engineer, Software Integration (R5462) in San Diego, United States. It pays $152k-$228k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Level.

Level's read on this job

On Level's scale, this role is Works on AI ●●●○: the daily work is on AI products, without building the model.
The posting mentions Software In The Loop, Hardware In The Loop and Vehicle In The Loop among its tools and skills.
Level classes it as a senior role.
Shield AI has 614 other open roles on Level.

AI in this role

Senior Software Integration Engineer to integrate Hivemind autonomy software onto operational defense platforms.

software-in-the-loophardware-in-the-loopvehicle-in-the-loop

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:

The Systems & Platform Integration team serves as the engineering bridge between Hivemind autonomy and operational platforms across Shield AI’s Expeditionary and Emerging Operations portfolio. Our mission is to rapidly enable new platform adoption by developing the interfaces, configurations, and integration frameworks required to deploy autonomy capabilities across a diverse portfolio, including XBAT, VBAT, Weapons, Space, Congested Logistics, and Maritime initiatives.

As a Senior Software Integration Engineer, you will lead the integration of Hivemind autonomy onto a diverse portfolio of operational platforms. You will design and implement the software interfaces that connect autonomy with platform control systems, mission computers, payloads, sensors, and communications systems, while solving complex integration challenges across software, hardware, and networking.

You will own integrations throughout their lifecycle—from interface design and implementation, through validation in Software-in-the-Loop (SIL), Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL), and Vehicle-in-the-Loop (VIL) environments, to successful demonstrations and operational deployments.

This role is ideal for an engineer who enjoys solving complex, cross-disciplinary engineering problems and wants to see autonomy capabilities transition from development into real-world operational use.

How we rate this

Senior Engineer, Software Integration (R5462) at Shield AI rates 65 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.

Classification

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.

Key facts

Senior Engineer, Software Integration (R5462) is an open job at Shield AI.
Level rates this role AI Level 3 of 4: Works on AI.
The listed salary is $152k-$228k a year.
The role is based in San Diego, California.
The job was posted on August 3, 2026.
Seniority: senior.
Applications are handled by Shield AI. Apply on Shield AI

Prepare for this job

Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.

Skills and AI tools this role asks for

Software In The LoopHardware In The LoopVehicle In The Loop

Questions you could be asked

What's a project where you used Software In The Loop hands-on?
Walk me through how you've used Hardware In The Loop in your day-to-day work.
What are the limits of Vehicle In The Loop that you've run into, and how did you work around them?
Describe a typical day in a role like this one: which parts run through AI directly?
If you removed AI from this role, what would be left, and how do you decide what still needs a human?

Adapt your resume

List these exact terms on your resume: Software In The Loop, Hardware In The Loop, and Vehicle In The Loop. 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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