Senior Engineering Manager, Hivemind On X Test (r2776)

Introduction to Shield AI Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company whose mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. In pursuit of this mission, Shield AI is building the world’s best AI pilot. Its AI pilot, Hivemind, has flown a fighter jet (F-16), a vertical takeoff and landing drone (V-BAT), and a quadcopter (Nova). The company has offices in San Diego, Dallas, Washington DC and abroad. Shield AI’s products and people are currently in the field actively supporting operations with the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. allies.

The Hivemind on X Test Lead has the primary responsibility to ensure verification and validation of all systems requirements on Hivemind programs. As the Test Lead, they will ensure the efficient planning and execution of all test activities required to achieve program and project milestones in coordination with program management, engineering, and corporate support organizations, as required. They will be expected to help design and stand up test processes and functions for the testing needs of the integrated Hivemind product applied to various platforms in multiple UAS Groups.   ​  They are expected to proactively engage cross-functionally to solve problems, unblock issues, and drive effective planning. They must be a top-notch communicator that can engage with both engineering- and non-engineering teams. They must be pragmatic and decisive—they must be able to differentiate &  prioritize critical vs non-critical investments in time, energy and resources to achieve ambitious Shield AI objectives.  

As the Hivemind on X Test Lead, you will:

• Ensure creation of test strategy for all flight test milestones by coordinating with program management, Hivemind engineering and external platform providers to ensure overall program objectives are understood and effectively incorporated into HIL, SIL, VIL and integration test plans​.
• ​Support Systems Engineering in the development of systems level Concept of Operations, requirements, and designs to ensure testability of system prior to delivery.
• Develop detailed systems level test plans to ensure verification and validation of all program requirements.
• Enable concurrent development efforts by ensuring flight test results inform development efforts for adjacent milestones. ​
• ​Coordinate the provisioning of the specific Hivemind software and hardware buildouts required to execute the test strategy​.
• Lead test card development and review in collaboration with other engineering disciplines and test operations personnel.
• Ensure the efficient execution of testing. This includes ensuring coordination occurs with Customer Success for personnel, assets, approvals (federal, local, internal, etc…), and locations. ​
• ​ Ensure an efficient feedback loop—evaluate results vs objectives and disseminate info to the appropriate teams.​
• ​ Help manage the SIL/HIL/VIL labs in Crystal City.

You will also be responsible for:

• Aligning technical approaches with long-term roadmaps
• Define and executing the technical approach to large programs
• Defining systems engineering and test engineering infrastructures needed to support development efforts
• Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications

• 9+ years of experience in Flight Test Engineering,Software/Hardware-in-the-loop simulation environments, Unmanned Systems, and other related fields in the Defense space.
• Development of detailed test plans, test schedules, and test procedures for developmental and/or operational testing
• Strong understanding of Systems Engineering processes for a systems development lifecycle (Concept of Operations, Requirements, Design, Development, Integration and Test, Verification and Validation, Operations and Maintenance)
• 3+ years of leadership experience
• B.S. or Master’s degree in Engineeringor related field
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• You are organized and methodical
• You have a demonstrated record of working hard, being a trustworthy teammate, holding yourself and others to high standards, and being kind to others

Preferred Qualifications:

• Working knowledge of Department of Defense (DoD) Developmental and Operational Test and Evaluation (DT&E/OT&E) processes
• UAS and/or tactical fighter operational experience
• Experience working in DoD SW/HW laboratories
• 5+ years of experience integrating/testing software on UAS
• 3+ years of experience with autonomous systems