Shield AI · 4 hours ago
Director, Autonomy Applications Engineering (R3988)
San Francisco, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
$264K/yr - $396K/yr
15+ years expShield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech company with a mission to protect service members and civilians through intelligent systems. The Director of Applications Engineering will lead a global team responsible for deploying Hivemind technology, ensuring customer success and technical excellence throughout the customer lifecycle.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)Autonomous VehiclesDronesMachine LearningNational Security
Responsibilities
Develop and implement a comprehensive technical customer engagement strategy from initial onboarding through full operational deployment and ongoing expansion
Oversee the creation and execution of detailed phased engagement plans (e.g., 3-6-9-12 months) tailored to customer needs and strategic objectives
Champion the development of customers as “sovereign capabilities,” enabling them to become self-sufficient operators of Hivemind
Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing global team of Application Engineers
Manage distributed teams across the globe (USA, Japan, Korea, Singapore, EU etc.)
Foster a culture of customer obsession, proactive problem-solving, and technical excellence
Own and drive training programs for managers and ICs
Set and drive team OKRs to meet company OKRs
Set standards and drive creation of high-quality customer training materials
Oversee the creation of technical documentation, best practice guides, and learning materials
Drive execution of key customer projects, including CONOP demonstrations, integrations, and production deployments
Oversee execution for high-impact events such as Tech Days and customer demonstrations
Implement processes for milestone tracking, risk management, and timely delivery of deliverables
Partner with Sales and Business Development to ensure seamless pre- and post-sales transitions
Collaborate with Product and Engineering to feed customer insights into the Hivemind roadmap
Work with Marketing to produce case studies, success stories, and public communications
Build relationships with key customer engineering and leadership contacts
Contribute to reviewing and responding to customer RFIs and RFPs
Contribute to creating and reviewing Scope of Work documents for customer proposals
Build long-term relationships with executive stakeholders and program leads
Ensure customers achieve measurable mission success with Hivemind
Develop strategies to create “highlight moments” and referenceable customer outcomes
Qualification
Required
M.S degree in Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, Robotics or a related field required; Master's or MBA preferred
15+ years in customer-facing technical leadership (solutions/support)
Proven success leading globally distributed technical teams
Deep understanding of enterprise software integration, SDKs, and mission-critical systems—ideally within AI/ML, autonomy, or defense technology sectors
Strong program and project management skills; experience overseeing complex deployments
Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage both technical and executive stakeholders
Experience working with defense primes or international government customers is highly desirable
Customer-Obsessed: Passionate about understanding customer needs and driving their success
Strategic Thinker: Ability to see the big picture, anticipate future customer needs, and align enablement efforts with business goals
Execution-Focused Leader: Proven ability to translate strategy into action and deliver results
Collaborative & Influential: Adept at working cross-functionally and building strong internal and external relationships
Technically Credible: Comfortable diving into technical details up to and including reviewing code and engaging with engineering teams
Adaptable & Resilient: Thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
Preferred
Ph.D. degree in Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, Robotics or a related field required
MBA
Hands on development experience in C/C++
Hands on edge autonomy applications development experience
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