Senior Director of Engineering, Hivemind Pilot (R2794)

As the Director of Engineering for Hivemind Pilot, you will lead a talented team of autonomy and AI engineers responsible for the architecture, software development, and integration of Shield AI's core AI & Autonomy product. This role requires a blend of technical expertise in autonomy and software engineering, leadership, and strategic vision to drive the development of AI pilots for unmanned aerial vehicles.

What You'll Do:

• Drive the technical direction and execution of the Hivemind Pilot product.
• Lead a 40-50 person engineering team in developing and maintaining the architecture and software components of the Hivemind Pilot, along with many representative implementations.
• Support the specialization of the Hivemind Pilot and integration for customer projects.
• Manage competing business priorities and technical needs to create high quality engineering plans and deliver capabilities on time within budget.
• Manage the software development life cycle for the Hivemind Pilot.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including program management, product management, sales, and customer success, to ensure successful product development and deployment.
• Review customer requirements and decompose them into systems/engineering requirements.
• Hire A-players at both manager and IC level to meet business objectives.
• Foster a high-performance culture through mentorship, talent development, and effective team management.
• Stay calm under pressure to keep team members aligned and focused.
• Ensure compliance with industry standards and best practices in AI and autonomy development.

Required Qualifications:

• MS in Computer Science, Autonomy, Robotics, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• 15+ years of total industry experience
• 9+ years of experience in building and leading engineering teams
• 5+ years of industry experience of building and leading a team of teams for mid-sized teams of 25-50 people.
• Proven track record of successful product launches in Autonomy/AI/Robotics as a manager.
• Strong expertise in autonomy and C++ software development.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and project management skills.
• Experience with agile development methodologies.
• Proven experience working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment while manage multiple evolving priorities effectively.
• Demonstrable experience in writing C++ code in past projects
• Proficiency in development tools like Git, Jira, Azure Devops, GitHub, SharePoint, M365, etc.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Computer Science, Autonomy, Robotics, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• Domain expertise in unmanned aerial vehicle systems/autonomous vehicles
• Familiarity with multi-agent systems/swarming, computer vision, and sensor integration.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to think strategically.
• Knowledge of industry trends and emerging technologies in AI and robotics.
• 2+ years of experience working at high-growth startups.