Founded in 2015, 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 and V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft. 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
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Job Description:
We are seeking a Lead Cybersecurity Engineer to own and lead all cybersecurity activities across X-Bat and its associated mission systems, networks, ground systems, and support infrastructure. This role directly impacts mission survivability, operational resiliency, platform accreditation, and program execution by ensuring cybersecurity is architected, integrated, validated, and sustained across the entire system lifecycle.
The engineer will serve as the central authority for platform cybersecurity, driving secure system design, cyber resilience, RMF execution, compliance, vulnerability management, and cross-domain integration activities. This position plays a critical role in reducing cyber risk, enabling airworthiness and accreditation, and ensuring the platform can operate effectively in contested and denied environments.
What you'll do:
Own the platform cybersecurity strategy and architecture across aircraft systems, mission systems, networks, ground systems, datalinks, and support infrastructure
Define cybersecurity requirements, system behaviors, security architectures, threat models, and operational workflows to ensure resilient and survivable mission operations
Lead RMF execution, accreditation activities, STIG implementation, vulnerability management, and security compliance efforts to support program milestones and operational fielding
Drive cross-functional integration between systems engineering, avionics, software, networking, mission systems, test, and airworthiness teams to embed cybersecurity throughout the platform lifecycle
Support cybersecurity testing, incident response, root cause analysis, and risk mitigation activities across lab, ground, and flight test environments to improve platform resiliency and mission readiness
Required qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical field
8+ years of experience in cybersecurity engineering, defense systems, mission systems, or military aerospace programs
Experience leading cybersecurity activities for complex integrated systems or defense platforms
Strong knowledge of RMF, STIGs, system hardening, network security, secure architectures, and vulnerability management processes
Experience working across hardware, software, networking, and mission system integration environments
Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance desired.
Preferred qualifications:
Experience supporting military aircraft, UAV, mission systems, or tactical communication platforms
Familiarity with resilient system architectures, zero trust principles, cross-domain solutions, and contested environment operations
Experience with MBSE methodologies and tools such as Cameo Systems Modeler
Background supporting cybersecurity test events, airworthiness, or platform accreditation activities
Active Secret or Top Secret clearance preferred