Shield AI · 5 months ago
Principal Systems Engineer, Cyber for Edge Systems (R3683)
San Diego Metro Area
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$200K/yr - $300K/yr
10+ years expShield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company focused on protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. They are seeking a Principal Systems Engineer to lead the design and implementation of secure architectures across their autonomy software stack and related platforms, ensuring robust defenses against cyber threats and compliance with security requirements.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)Autonomous VehiclesDronesMachine LearningNational Security
Responsibilities
Define and evolve the security architecture across embedded, edge, and cloud components of Shield AI’s autonomy stack
Drive adoption of secure software development practices, including threat modeling, secure code review standards, and automated static/dynamic analysis tooling
Lead the design of cryptographic protocols, identity and access management systems, secure communication layers, and key management infrastructure
Conduct architecture risk assessments and influence design decisions to minimize attack surfaces and improve defense-in-depth
Collaborate with infrastructure, autonomy, and mission software teams to define policies for software update security, telemetry handling, and secure provisioning
Partner with compliance and certification teams to align systems with NIST, FedRAMP, and/or DoD cybersecurity frameworks
Serve as a technical point of contact for external security assessments, penetration testing, and red team exercises
Qualification
Required
10+ years in cybersecurity engineering or architecture
Strong knowledge of modern cryptography, secure systems design, and authentication protocols
Experience designing secure architectures for distributed, embedded, or autonomy-related systems
Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, static analysis, container security, and SBOM practices
Proven ability to lead security initiatives across software and infrastructure teams
Experience with risk assessment methodologies and adversarial modeling
Preferred
Strong programming and review skills in C++, Python, Go, and Typescript
Experience in defense, aerospace, or critical infrastructure environments
Knowledge of security certification processes (e.g., RMF, FedRAMP, NIST 800-53, DoD STIGs)
Familiarity with secure boot, TPMs, hardware root of trust, and embedded device hardening
Hands-on experience with secure telemetry, remote attestation, and anti-tamper design
Background in red teaming, incident response, or forensic readiness
Active security certifications such as CISSP, GSE, OSCP, or equivalent
Benefits
Bonus
Benefits
Equity
Temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)
Company
Shield AI
Shield AI is a deep-tech company that focuses on developing AI-powered systems to enhance the safety of service members and civilians.
1001-5000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Shield AI has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (3)
2024 (3)
2021 (1)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$1.31BKey Investors
Hercules CapitalUS Innovative Technology FundSnowpoint Ventures
2025-03-06Series F· $240M
2023-12-29Debt Financing· $200M
2023-10-31Series F· $300M
Leadership Team
Gary Steele
Chief Executive Officer
Brandon Tseng
Co-Founder
Recent News
Washington Technology
2026-01-11
Company data provided by crunchbase