Principal Engineer, Software Architect (R4562)
Shield AI · Dallas, TX · X-BAT Division
principal
software engineering
Principal Engineer
tech_leadership
· Posted Feb 13, 2026
$215,566 – $323,350
USD per-year-salary
About this role
Shield AI is hiring a principal-level Principal Engineer in the software engineering function based in Dallas, TX. The posting calls out experience with CI/CD, API Development, Performance Optimization. Compensation is listed at $215,566–$323,350 per-year-salary.
- Role
- Principal Engineer
- Function
- software engineering
- Level
- principal
- Track
- Tech leadership
- Employment
- Full-time
- Location
- Dallas, TX
- Department
- X-BAT Division
- Posted
- Feb 13, 2026
More roles at Shield AI
Electrical Engineering Spring Co-op (January 2027) (R4475)
Dallas, TX · intern
Testing
Electrical Integration - Electrical Engineer II (R4627)
Dallas, TX · mid
Embedded Systems Testing
Electrical Integration - Staff Electrical Engineer (R4628)
Dallas, TX · staff
Engineer I, Electromechanical (R4951)
United States · staff
Agile Compliance
Engineer II, Applications (R4789)
Taipei, Taiwan · mid
API Development
All Shield AI jobs →
Job description
from Shield AI careersFounded 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.
Lead the software architecture for Shield AI’s XBAT program across Mission, Vehicle, and Autonomy software domains. Build a safe, secure, and scalable architecture that enables high‑assurance, cyber‑relevant software development for an advanced airborne system and its ground stations, reporting to the XBAT Software Lead.
WHAT YOU’LL DO:
- Define and evolve the system‑wide software architecture for XBAT, spanning airborne vehicle, ground station, and autonomy layers.
- Translate safety and security goals into technical requirements, standards, and design patterns that guide engineers across multiple software teams.
- Ensure architecture supports safety‑critical and cyber‑relevant workflows. This includes formalizing architecture decisions, traceability, and compliance pathways appropriate for advanced airborne systems.
- Drive cross‑team alignment on APIs, data flows, fault handling, verification strategy, and risk management so mission, vehicle, and autonomy components integrate cleanly.
This is an excerpt. Read the full job description on Shield AI careers →