What does a Forward Deployed Engineer do at Shield AI?

Forward Deployed Engineers at Shield AI are embedded directly with enterprise customers to implement and customize the platform, build integrations, and solve technical problems in real-world client environments. They combine software engineering skills with direct customer interaction, writing production code while also serving as the primary technical point of contact.

What skills are required for this Forward Deployed Engineer role?

The Forward Deployed Engineer role at Shield AI typically requires strong software engineering skills (Python, TypeScript, SQL), experience with APIs and system integration, comfort with cloud platforms, and the ability to communicate complex technical topics to non-technical stakeholders. Most FDE roles require 3-7 years of engineering experience.

Is this Forward Deployed Engineer position at Shield AI remote?

Remote availability varies by Shield AI FDE role. Some positions are fully remote, others require travel to customer sites, and some are hybrid. Check the full job description above for the specific location requirements for this posting.

Shield AI

Forward Deployed Engineer

London, OH, US Mid Posted June 03, 2026

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Role Description

Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.### Job Description:

The Forward Deployed Engineer will provide technical expertise and support to customers during the implementation and use of Shield AI enterprise software products. This role involves working closely with customers to understand their requirements and ensuring successful product integration for AI & Autonomy development.

What you'll do:

Become an expert user of the Hivemind Enterprise Autonomy Software Development Kit.
Develop AI & Autonomy applications using Hivemind for unmanned platforms across air/sea/land/space.
Deploy Hivemind AI infrastructure at customer sites.
Provide technical training to customers for their autonomy development efforts.
Assist customers in integrating Hivemind autonomy to their vehicles/platforms.
Help customers debug software/API integration issues.
Collaborate with the product and engineering teams to address customer feedback and improve products.
Develop and maintain technical documentation and training materials Assist the sales team in answering complex technical queries from customers.
Travel to and stay at customer sites as required (~30% travel).

Examples of Projects You will Work On:

* Autonomous teaming drones. * Teaming between helicopters and drones. * Autonomy on Robodogs. * AI on Fighter Jets… and more that we aren’t allowed to publicly share!

Required qualifications:

* Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field. * 7+ years of experience of industry experience * 3+ years of experience in an integration/applications engineering role * 3+ years of experience working in a startup environment. * Strong technical background in software engineering. * Strong proficiency in writing modern C++ code. * Intermediate proficiency in writing Python code. * Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills. * Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

Preferred qualifications:

* Experience in the defense aviation or robotics industry. * Experience building and running a small enterprise software applications/solutions engineering team. #LI-LD2 #LD

Our international teammates receive a comprehensive total rewards package aligned to your country office location. For full details on compensation and benefits, please consult your talent acquisition partner. We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

About Forward Deployed Engineering

Forward Deployed Engineers are embedded directly with customers to build custom solutions, integrate products into existing infrastructure, and bridge the gap between product engineering and customer success. The role combines deep technical skills with the ability to operate in client environments and translate business requirements into working software.

Originally pioneered by Palantir, the FDE model has spread across AI, enterprise SaaS, and cloud infrastructure companies. FDEs write production code, architect integrations, train customer teams, and feed product insights back to the core engineering organization. At companies like OpenAI, Salesforce, and Databricks, FDE teams are treated as elite engineering units that can ship custom solutions in days rather than quarters.

Typical FDE stack: Python, TypeScript, SQL, REST/GraphQL APIs, cloud platforms (AWS/GCP/Azure), and increasingly LLM APIs and AI orchestration frameworks. Strong communication and the ability to context-switch between technical and business conversations are as important as coding ability.