Senior Software Engineer, Perception and Computer Vision (R3125) - Shield AI

Job Title: Senior Software Engineer, Perception and Computer Vision (R3125)
Job Location: San Diego Metro Area
Job Listing URL: https://jobs.lever.co/shieldai/bc8e89e6-6808-470c-899f-1902e99969a6
Job Description: Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent, autonomous systems. Its products include Hivemind Enterprise—EdgeOS, Pilot, Commander, and Forge—as well as V-BAT and Sentient Vision Systems (wide-area motion imaging software). With offices in San Diego, Dallas, Washington, D.C., 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 and Instagram.

Shield AI is building a world-class autonomy stack for intelligent aircraft. As a Senior Software Engineer on the Perception team within our Hivemind Pilot organization, you will design, implement, and optimize image and video processing algorithms that empower autonomous systems to understand and operate in complex real-world environments.

You’ll work closely with senior team members guiding the design of the computer vision pipeline, and you’ll contribute to the full software development lifecycle—from architecture and implementation to test and release.

What you'll do:
Develop and optimize C++ software modules for video and image processing, including components like:
Denoising, cropping, filtering, feature extraction, and object classification
Integration of open-source frameworks such as OpenCV and GStreamer
Work closely with other computer vision experts to implement high-performance, modular computer vision pipelines
Develop and enhance various testing modalities (e.g., digital simulation, software-in-the-loop, hardware-in-the-loop, and flight testing) to mature the perception software stack
Contribute to real-time processing and deployment of EO/IR video streams on embedded hardware
Participate in code reviews, architecture discussions, and test planning
Deliver production-quality code used in safety-critical autonomy systems
Required Qualifications:
3–5 years of experience in C++ software development, preferably in a Linux environment
Familiarity with image and video processing techniques and tools
Experience with at least one of: OpenCV, GStreamer, FFmpeg, or equivalent
Solid understanding of software engineering best practices: version control, CI/CD, testing
Growth mindset and ability to work under the mentorship of a more senior technical lead
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience with real-time video pipelines or embedded perception systems
Experience deploying software and algorithms to military platforms
Familiarity with EO/IR camera models and calibration
Background in robotics, computer vision, or aerospace systems
Contributions to open-source vision libraries
Why join us?
At Shield AI, you will work on cutting-edge technology that pushes the boundaries of autonomous systems. This role offers the opportunity to lead the technical direction of a critical component in our perception stack while collaborating with a team of talented engineers and researchers. Your work will have a direct impact on enabling advanced robotics for defense and beyond.