Senior Systems Engineer, Autonomy & Vision Systems

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 . Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn , X , Instagram , and YouTube .

Job Description:

We are seeking a Senior Software Engineer, Embedded Linux Platform to help build and own the operating system and software platform that turns our edgecomputehardware into reliable, deployable autonomous systems.

This role sits at the boundary between hardware and application software. You will own the Linux platform and software delivery foundations of our edge compute systems, from hardware bring-up and operating system configuration through reproducible builds, packaging,deploymentand operation in the field.

NixOSis our primary deployed operating system and a core technology for this role. You will help evolve andmaintainourNixOS-based platform, while also supporting and improving other Linux distributions and environments used across our edge systems. You will develop C++ software and platform tooling, package software and hardware dependencies, integrate vendor BSPs and drivers, and ensure we can reliably build,configureand deploy complete systems across our supported hardware and Linux environments.

Youdon'tneed to already be aNixOSexpert. We are looking for strong software engineers with experience in Linux systems, embedded Linux or adjacent platform technologies who are interested in developing deepexpertiseinNixOS. Experience withNixOSis highly valued, as is experience with technologies such asYocto,Buildroot, Debian/Ubuntu or other Linux build and distribution systems.

The goal is simple: make the path from hardware to deployed software reproducible,reliableand predictable.

What you'll do:

• Own and evolve the embedded Linux platforms deployed across our edge compute systems, withNixOSas a primary focus.

• Build andmaintainoperating system images,configurationsand software environments for production hardware across multiple Linux distributions.

• Evolve andmaintainourNixOSplatform, including system configuration, packaging and integration of application and hardware dependencies.

• Develop C++ systems software and platform tooling that supports the operation,configurationand deployment of our edge systems.

• Integrate andmaintainvendor BSPs, Linux kernels, device trees, drivers, and hardware-specific dependencies.

• Package application software, system components and third-party dependencies using Nix and other platform-appropriate mechanisms.

• Develop and improve the mechanisms used to build, configure, version, test and deploy complete software systems onto edge devices.

• Bring up newcomputeplatforms and hardware configurations andestablisha clear path from initial integration through production deployment.

• Define clean interfaces between the operating system, hardwareplatformand application software so application teams can build on stable and well-supported foundations.

• Diagnose challenging problems across application software,userspaceLinux, the kernel,driversand hardware interfaces.

• Improve system reliability, boot behaviour, performance,securityand resource utilisation.

• Develop automated build, test and validation infrastructure for operating system images and hardware/software integration.

• Work closely with application, autonomy,perception,hardwareand test engineers to integrate new capabilities and hardware into the platform.

• Improve the developer experience for engineers building,testingand deploying software onto edge systems.

• Establish engineering practices that make deployed systems reproducible,traceableand recoverable.

Required qualifications:

• Strong understanding of Linux systems, fromuserspacethrough to the kernel and hardware interfaces.

• Experience building,configuringormaintainingLinux systems used as part of a deployed product.

• Experience with Nix/NixOS,Yocto,Buildroot, Debian/Ubuntu or similar Linux build and distribution technologies . DeepNixOSexperience is highly valued but notrequired.

• Strong software engineering experience in modern C++ , ideally developing systems software, platformsoftwareor software for Linux-based edge devices.

• Experience with reproducible builds, dependency management, softwarepackagingor software supply chains.

• Experience diagnosing difficult problems that cross application,operating systemand hardware boundaries.

• Experience with CI/CD and automated build and test systems.

• Ability to take ownership of complex platform problems and drive them frominitialinvestigation through deployment and long-term support.

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.

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, colour, 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.