Staff Field Solutions Engineer (R5522)
Summary
Field engineer who demos and sells Shield AI’s Hivemind autonomy software to defense customers, translating mission needs into technical solutions and supporting proposals and demos.
Job Description:
Shield AI is hiring a Field Solutions Engineer, Hivemind to support technical sales, customer engagements, demonstrations, and capture activities for Hivemind, Shield AI’s autonomy solution for intelligent, mission-capable unmanned systems.
Hivemind enables autonomous operation across complex mission environments, allowing aircraft and other robotic systems to perceive, decide, coordinate, and execute with reduced operator burden. This role will serve as a customer-facing technical expert for Hivemind, helping defense and security customers understand how autonomy can solve operational problems, improve mission outcomes, and integrate into existing and future force structures.
The Field Solutions Engineer will translate customer mission needs, CONOPs, operational constraints, and platform integration considerations into credible, technically feasible Hivemind solution concepts. This includes supporting customer discovery, technical briefings, demonstrations, RFIs, RFPs, white papers, technical interchange meetings, and customer-specific solution development.
Success requires technical credibility, strong communication, product truth, and the ability to connect Hivemind’s autonomy capabilities to real customer missions across varied operational environments.
What you'll do:
- Serve as a customer-facing technical expert for Hivemind autonomy solutions in markets.
- Support customer discovery, technical briefings, demonstrations, technical interchange meetings, and capture activities.
- Translate customer mission needs, CONOPs, operational objectives, and integration constraints into credible Hivemind solution concepts.
- Partner with Business Development and Capture teams to support RFIs, RFPs, proposals, white papers, demos, and customer-facing technical narratives.
- Explain Hivemind autonomy capabilities, limitations, roadmap considerations, and integration requirements to technical, operational, commercial, and leadership audiences.
- Develop and maintain technical sales assets, including capability briefs, demo scripts, solution templates, FAQs, technical white papers, and customer-specific briefing materials.
- Work closely with Product, Engineering, Customer Engagement, and Program teams to represent customer requirements, technical risks, roadmap gaps, and field feedback.
- Help customers evaluate how autonomy can support operational effectiveness, mission planning, force modernization, and fielded mission outcomes.
- Maintain strong product truth by ensuring customer-facing materials and discussions accurately reflect current capabilities, constraints, and roadmap timing.
- Monitor relevant developments in autonomy, AI, unmanned systems, mission software, and defense technology to inform customer conversations and product feedback.
- Build trusted relationships with customer technical stakeholders and internal cross-functional partners.
- Operate independently across complex customer engagements while keeping internal stakeholders aligned and informed.
Required qualifications:
- 7+ years of experience in solutions engineering, field applications engineering, systems engineering, technical sales, autonomy, robotics, defense software, aerospace, or related technical customer-facing roles.
- Strong technical understanding of autonomy, AI-enabled systems, mission software, unmanned systems, robotics, or complex defense technology systems.
- Experience supporting customer-facing technical engagements such as demos, technical briefings, proposal support, integration discussions, technical interchange meetings, or operational workshops.
- Ability to translate customer mission needs into technically feasible solution concepts, requirements, demos, and product feedback.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to technical, operational, commercial, and leadership audiences.
- Ability to work cross-functionally with Business Development, Product Management, Engineering, Customer Engagement, and Program teams.
- Strong judgment in representing product capabilities, limitations, and roadmap dependencies to customers.
- Demonstrated ability to build trust with customers and internal stakeholders through technical credibility, responsiveness, and clear communication.
- Ability to manage ambiguity, prioritize competing demands, and execute independently in a fast-paced environment.
- Willingness and ability to travel for customer engagements, demonstrations, exercises, and internal meetings.
Preferred qualifications:
- Prior military, defense, aerospace, robotics, unmanned systems, or advanced technology domains (military or civilian).
- Direct experience working with U.S. Navy or U.S. Air Force customers, programs, or operational units, including familiarity with relevant mission sets, platforms, and acquisition processes.
- Experience with autonomous systems (air, ground, or maritime) and familiarity with autonomy workflows, mission planning, system integration, and operational evaluation.
- Hands-on experience with Python, C++, Linux, APIs, SDKs, autonomy software, robotics middleware, or technical prototyping.
- Demonstrated ability to create clear, reusable technical content that enables BD, customers, and internal stakeholders.
Skills
As published by lever · 19 questions · 9 written answers
Basics
Resume/CV, Full name, Email, Phone, Current location, Current company, LinkedIn URL, Twitter URL, GitHub URL, Portfolio URL, Other website
Short answers (1)
- Please state your full legal name:
Pick from a list (9)
- Are you authorized to work in the United States?
- Will you require sponsorship for employment now or in the future?
- This position may require access to information and technology that is subject to export controls, such as EAR. Are you any of the following?
- Shield AI provides technology, services, and support to the United States military and allied forces with their various missions. If selected for employment with Shield AI, your contributions will directly relate to and/or support these missions. Are there any reasons why you would not be able to fully contribute in support of the U.S. military and allied forces?
- How did you hear about us?
- Are you a transitioning service member?
- If yes, what partnership program are you working with? optional
- Are you local to or willing to relocate? optional
- What office(s) would you be willing to relocate to? (Select all that apply) optional
Written answers (9)
- If yes, what type of sponsorship? optional
- If you selected "A protected Individual" OR "Other" to the above question, please explain further. optional
- (Optional) If you selected other or would like to expand on the above, feel free to do so below: optional
- If "Industry Conference" or "Other," please provide more details: optional
- If other, please provide further details optional
- When are you available to start your fellowship? optional
- When are you available for full time work? optional
- What full time job(s) are you applying for?
- If you selected international, what location(s)? optional
a16z 