> AI agents: this is one page of Nextmove’s FDE site, in Markdown. Nextmove is a job board and free career service for forward deployed engineers (FDEs). Each posting is classified from its text, not its title: the kind of work, how much of it is production code, pre-sales weight, time at customer sites, travel, remote arrangement, level and posted base pay. The site also publishes the aggregates: median pay by level, metro, company and kind of work, and which companies started hiring FDEs each week. Every page under https://nextmove.md/fde is served this way; the index of pages is https://nextmove.md/llms.txt.

# Applications Engineer, Autonomy (open level)

Canonical URL: https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/428fb983eb69a54d

Shield AI posts a senior FDE role to build what the customer runs in San Diego, CA, at $152,000–$318,000 base, above the senior FDE median of $190,000 across 1,849 postings with pay. Customer-facing Applications Engineer deploying and integrating Shield AI’s Hivemind autonomy software in real-world environments. Read from the employer’s posting on November 6, 2026.

- [Shield AI](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/shield-ai)

Posted Jul 15, 2024 by Shield AI · open on Lever as of Nov 6, 2026

**$152,000–$318,000** *annualized* San Diego, CA Hybrid Full-time

Customer-facing Applications Engineer deploying and integrating Shield AI’s Hivemind autonomy software in real-world environments.

- [See roles that fit me](https://nextmove.md/sign-up?from=%2Ffde%2Fjobs%2F428fb983eb69a54d&placement=top)
- [View posting at Shield AI](https://jobs.lever.co/shieldai/2394368a-67ff-441c-83c3-e998446327e7/apply)

Free. Upload your resume once, see why each FDE role fits, and get introduced only when you say so.

## At a glance

### Posted base pay

$152K–$318K Above the median

Midpoint $235K · median $190K

This job $152K to $318K. Senior FDE postings, 1,849 postings: the middle 50% of posted pay is $160K to $220K, median $190K.

### The work

Builds what the customer runs

Balance **Mostly building**

Project stages

1. Pre-sales
2. Proof of concept (not covered)
3. Implementation
4. Operations

Travel **Up to 25%**

- **Coding**: Writes production code

- **Builds for**: External customers

- **Level**: Senior

- **Role**: Individual contributor

### What they ask for

Experience

- **5+ years** industry experience
- **2+ years** integration/applications engineering role
- **2+ years** startup environment

Background

- **Software engineering**
- **Implementation and data engineering**

### Do you meet what the posting states?

The posting asks for 2+ years. How many do you have?

The posting reads as a senior role. What level are you at now?

The job is in San Diego, CA. Could you work there?

Which of these have you used in production?

Answer each one. Nothing is saved or sent.

[What postings ask for, by background →](https://nextmove.md/fde/paths)

## Conditions

- **Location**: San Diego, CA

- **Work arrangement**: Hybrid

- **Employment type**: Full-time

- **Travel**: Up to 25%

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Denver, CO · San Diego, CA · +2 more 6w ago

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- [Other jobs at Shield AI (5)](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/shield-ai)

## The job description from Shield AI

Posted by Shield AI on Jul 15, 2024

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, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. 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 www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

Our Applications Engineers are highly technical, customer-facing problem solvers who play a critical role in deploying Shield AI’s Hivemind software in real-world environments. This role is travel-intensive, with frequent trips, often international, and sometimes lasting multiple weeks, to work directly alongside customers on-site.

This is primarily a Senior-level role, and we’re typically looking for candidates with several years of relevant industry experience. That said, we will consider exceptional mid-level engineers who demonstrate strong technical fundamentals, a hands-on mindset, and a track record of taking initiative in dynamic, customer-driven environments

In this role, you will work closely with customers to understand their requirements, provide technical expertise during deployment, and ensure successful integration of our AI and autonomy products. You’ll also collaborate internally with engineering teams, with opportunities to grow into technical leadership over time.

### You Should Apply If

- You’re excited about a travel-heavy role and enjoy being on-site with customers, including international and multi-week engagements
- You’re a strong technical contributor (or early in your career and eager to grow) who takes initiative and figures things out
- You enjoy problem solving, building relationships, and working at the intersection of engineering and real-world deployment
- You’re passionate about autonomy, robotics, or aerospace

### You Should Not Apply If

- You prefer minimal travel or want to work primarily from a single location
- You want to do 100% R&D and don’t enjoy customer interactions
- You’ve never programmed in C, C++, or Rust

### What you'll do:

- Deploy with customers on site globally ( up to 25% travel) to support software integration and development activities.
- Become an expert user of the Hivemind enterprise software stack and its various autonomy modules.
- Provide technical support and training to customers.
- Develop AI & Autonomy applications using the Shield AI enterprise software development kit
- Assist the sales team in pre-sales activities, e.g., demos, conferences, immersions
- Assist in post-sales deployment and integration of Shield AI enterprise software products.
- Develop and maintain technical documentation and training materials.
- Help customers debug software/API integration issues.
- Collaborate with the product engineering team to address customer feedback and improve products.

### Required qualifications:

- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
- 5+ years of experience of industry experience
- 2+ years of experience in an integration/applications engineering role
- 2+ 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.
- Advanced technical degree, especially in robotics or autonomy related fields

Senior Engineer: $152000-$228,000

Staff Engineer: $181,000-$272,000

Senior Staff Engineer: $212,000-$318,000

Full-time regular employee offer package:

Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity

Temporary employee offer package:

Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)

Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.

###

Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.

[View posting at Shield AI](https://jobs.lever.co/shieldai/2394368a-67ff-441c-83c3-e998446327e7/apply)

## About Shield AI

Builds AI pilot software, aircraft, and vision systems that let militaries and OEMs develop, deploy, and operate mission autonomy in contested environments.

Series G · 1000–2000 people

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- [Compare senior FDE salary ranges](https://nextmove.md/fde/salary/senior)
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