Networking & OS Engineering Manager (R6630)

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems.

As an Engineering Manager (Networking & OS) on V-BAT, you will lead a team designing, implementing, and optimizing the network infrastructure for our Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), which is deployed in some of the most challenging environments worldwide.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of high-performing networking & OS engineers, owning planning, prioritization, execution, coaching, and performance management; provide clear upward status updates on progress, risks, dependencies, and delivery commitments
• Work backward from operator capabilities to deliver bandwidth-optimized, low-latency communication over lossy or constrained radio and satellite links, leveraging traffic management, device isolation, and multi-link failover
• Develop resilient Layer 2 / Layer 3 network topologies and embedded Linux networking capabilities, including custom routing, TUN/TAP interfaces, user-space tunnels, and socket-level applications
• Partner closely with software engineers, hardware engineers, field operators, and program stakeholders to align priorities, resolve technical tradeoffs, and validate end-to-end performance in hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) labs and flight test environments
• Establish and uphold engineering standards for code quality, testing, reliability, and delivery; communicate technical decisions clearly and balance near-term execution with long-term architecture and team development

Required qualifications

• 8+ years developing network or operating-system software for complex, safety-critical or mission-critical systems
• 3+ years leading software engineering teams, including planning, execution, coaching, and performance management
• BS or MS in Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or related field
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, explaining complex technical concepts and building alignment across disciplines
• Demonstrated ability to navigate competing priorities and resolve technical tradeoffs with cross-functional stakeholders
• Strong proficiency developing production-grade software in C, C++, or Python within Linux environments
• Track record of shipping software that interacts directly with the Linux OS networking stack
• Deep understanding of Linux networking and Layer 2 / Layer 3 fundamentals, including routing and VLANs
• Experience with netlink, iptables/nftables, TUN/TAP interfaces, network namespaces, socket programming, and VPN/tunneling mechanisms
• Proven ability to lead reliable software delivery through development, integration, and deployment
• Hands-on experience troubleshooting network degradation in lossy, high-latency, or bandwidth-constrained environments
• Proficiency using network diagnostic tools such as tcpdump, Wireshark, iproute2, and iperf
• Ability to obtain security clearance

Preferred qualifications

• Experience developing embedded Linux networking applications using build systems like Yocto or OS-level customization tools
• Experience working with RF and other hardware engineers to design network protocols and topologies which are tailored for a novel radio network design
• Experience architecting network solutions for robotics, autonomous vehicles, aerospace, or edge computing hardware
• Familiarity with network security, public key infrastructure (PKI), and cryptographic tunnels in embedded systems