Manager, Autonomy Applications Engineering (R5188)
Application analysis
Manager, Autonomy Applications Engineering (R5188) at Shield AI is a forward deployed defense / aerospace role for engineers who want customer-facing technical work with real deployment ownership.
Reading this role
This Technical Leadership role centers on team leadership, customer program ownership, and scaling delivery playbooks. Key signals from the listing: Customer on-site travel, Senior scope.
About Shield AI
Defense technology companies combine startup velocity with government deployment constraints and security requirements. The role is anchored in London, so expect on-site customer work in that region.
Signals in the listing
Stand out for Manager, Autonomy Applications Engineering (R5188)
- Lead your application with one paragraph tying Manager, Autonomy Applications Engineering (R5188) to a specific customer or deployment you owned — Shield AI hires for shipped outcomes, not tool lists.
- Quantify team and program scale: people managed, number of concurrent customer deployments, and revenue or mission outcomes influenced.
- Explain how you built repeatable playbooks so delivery quality did not depend on one hero engineer.
- This role is tied to London — mention willingness to work on-site with customers and any existing ties to that market (clients, partners, or domain knowledge).
Stand out at Shield AI
- Demonstrate clearance readiness with a concrete example — Shield AI will probe for specifics, not buzzwords.
- Demonstrate operational rigor with a concrete example — Shield AI will probe for specifics, not buzzwords.
- Highlight classified or regulated environment experience and comfort with on-site customer work.
- Read recent engineering blog posts, product launches, and customer stories on shield.ai — reference one explicitly in your outreach to show genuine interest.
Tailored from this listing’s title, company, and description. Always verify requirements on the company careers page before applying.
Role description
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 www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube. Job Description: Shield AI is seeking a Manager, Autonomy Applications Engineering to lead a team of Forward Deployed Engineers supporting customer deployment, adoption, and operational success with the Hivemind SDK. This is a highly technical, customer-facing leadership role focused on enabling the team to deliver excellent on-site customer support, deployment execution, and success in real-world environments. The manager will own team performance, customer outcomes, and the flow of actionable field feedback back into the company. In this role, you will manage, coach, and develop Forward Deployed Engineers who work directly with customer operators, engineers, and technical stakeholders to support onboarding, deployment, troubleshooting, and sustained use of Hivemind. You will help the team navigate complex technical environments, translate mission and program goals into concrete technical milestones, and drive progress during active engagements. You will also partner closely with internal engineering, product, Applications Engineering, and program teams to improve customer readiness, product usability, deployment playbooks, and long-term customer success. This role includes up to 30% travel, including frequent customer site visits and oversight of active customer engagements.