Senior Software Engineer, Frontend Platform (R5790)

The role

This role builds and operates a front-end focused development platform used to train, validate, and deploy the AI Pilot. The engineer designs a composable UI architecture and typed, versioned contracts for independently developed Forge applications.

What you will do

• Build and operate a front-end focused development platform embedded in the workflows used to train, validate, and deploy the AI Pilot.
• Design a composable UI architecture that lets applications contribute apps, dashboards, commands, widgets, and shared resource context.
• Define typed, versioned contracts between the platform and independently developed Forge applications.
• Create workflows for teams to package, publish, configure, install, upgrade, and disable applications.
• Enable Forge's native AI experiences and external agent harnesses to understand active context, invoke authorized tools, navigate applications, and compose dashboards.
• Deliver consistent application behavior across local-development and AI Factory environments.
• Partner with simulation, autonomy, and ML subject-matter experts to build initial applications and validate the platform against real workflows.
• Work across infrastructure, security, product, and design to shape the platform's architecture and engineering practices.

Required qualifications

• Experience owning production full-stack applications from design and implementation through rollout and support.
• Strong proficiency with TypeScript and React or an equivalent modern web stack.
• Experience building production backend services in Go, Python, Rust, or a comparable language.
• Experience designing typed, versioned APIs and contracts between independently deployed components.
• Strong knowledge of web and distributed-system architecture, including state management, routing, asynchronous communication, browser security, authentication, authorization, and failure handling.
• Experience building real-time and high-performance applications (WebGL, WebGPU).
• Sound judgment about when to extend an existing system, introduce an abstraction, or keep a solution intentionally small.
• Clear communication skills and the ability to work across frontend, backend, infrastructure, and product disciplines.

Nice to have

• Extensible application platforms, including plugin systems, micro-frontends, web sandboxing, Web Components, or VS Code extensions.
• Agent-tool integrations and protocols such as Model Context Protocol.
• API gateways, reverse proxies, service catalogs, or policy-driven routing.
• Schema-driven API development using OpenAPI, JSON Schema, Protocol Buffers, gRPC, or generated clients.
• Kubernetes and ingress/gateways.
• Composable user experiences such as dashboard builders, configurable layouts, data visualization, or collaborative application state.
• Robotics, autonomy, simulation, aerospace, or other domains where software interacts with real-world systems.
• Shipping Electron applications.

Benefits

• Bonus
• Equity (full-time regular employees)
• Benefits package (full-time regular employees; not for military fellows or part-time employees)
• Temporary benefits package applicable after 60 days of employment (temporary employees)

Before you apply

• All offers are contingent on a cleared background check and possible reference check.
• Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits.

About the company

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company whose mission is 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.