Six Figure Work

Senior Staff Technical Program Manager (R6267)

Shield AI

Company websiteshield.ai (Shield AI, opens in new tab)

Base salary $180K  to $270K

Employer-published annual base salary, USD. Advertised base range in San Diego, CA

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  • LocationSan Diego, CA
  • WorkplaceOn-site
  • Status at last checkSource accepting applications when checked
  • Last checked (1 h ago) · observed since

About this job

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. 

Job Description:

As Technical Program Manager you will be responsible for key components of Hivemind Enterprise, a software development kit that enables both Shield AI and third parties to create a new generation of unmanned systems and mission applications that deliver transformative capabilities for the U.S. and its allies. You will work with sponsors, product managers, designers and a talented cross-functional engineering team to lead on-time, on-quality software releases.

What you'll do:

  • Drive the planning, execution, and delivery of complex software releases for the Hivemind Enterprise platform
  • Drive major initiatives building out command and control interfaces for autonomous systems
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including engineering, product management, design and customer engagement
  • Develop detailed project plans, including timelines, milestones, and resource allocation, ensuring adherence to budget and schedule
  • Monitor project progress, identify risks, and implement mitigation strategies to ensure successful project completion
  • Facilitate regular communication with stakeholders, providing updates on project status, challenges, and accomplishments
  • Drive continuous improvement in project management processes, tools, and methodologies
  • Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and excellence within the program management team
  • Facilitate technical decision making to appropriately prioritize work and make complex trades
  • Reinforce Shield AI's reputation for technical excellence and ability to deliver through expert engagement and disciplined execution

Required qualifications:

  • B.S. in Computer Science, or a related field with 8+ years of work experience in Program Management, Engineering Management or Software Engineering; alternative degrees are acceptable if professional experience is focused in testing Enterprise Software, Artificial Intelligence, or Robotics
  • Experience driving releases of complex software and integrated HW/SW systems
  • You have a track record of driving results, not just providing status
  • You have solid technical foundations in software development, with deep knowledge of how to optimize the software development lifecycle
  • You have the ability to recognize efficiency and inefficiency in projects and prioritize remedies based on accurate cost-benefit analysis
  • You are an exceptional, fundamentals-driven problem solver and communicator
  • You have a demonstrated record of setting and achieving goals in dynamic environments, working hard, being a trustworthy teammate, holding yourself and others to high standards, and being kind to others
  • Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills
  • Power user of Jira or work management tools

Preferred qualifications:

  • Advanced degree in Computer Science or MBA
  • Previous experience as a software developer or a test engineer
  • Previous experience driving software releases for enterprise software used by software engineers
  • Passionate about User Experience Design
  • Aviation domain experience
  • Autonomy, AI, ML expertise
  • PMP, Scrum Master, or similar qualifications

#LI-DS5

#LE

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.

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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. 

Source: Shield AI on Lever · View original posting (opens in new tab)

Pay in context

This role's base floor ($180,000) is above 75% of the 750 Program & Project Management roles in California listed on this site; 6 others list the same floor. Their median floor is $150,000; the middle half runs from $125,300 to $176,475.

Only jobs on this site count, and each one publishes a base salary of $100,000 or more, so this compares six-figure jobs with each other, not with the whole market. Computed Nov 6, 2026.

This range next to 6 other live Shield AI roles with the nearest advertised base floor
Chart as a table
This range next to 6 other live Shield AI roles with the nearest advertised base floor
RolePublished base
Senior Staff Technical Program Manager (R6267) (this listing)$180K - $270K
Staff Technical Program Manager, Propulsion (R4727)$180K - $280K
Staff Engineer, Power System - Ranger (R6326)$180,000 - $279,998
Sr. Manager, Enterprise Data (R6103)$180K - $270K
Staff Avionics Engineer, Electrical Systems - Ranger (R6345)$180K - $280K
Senior Staff Engineer, PCB Design (R5752)$180K - $270K
Staff Guidance & Controls Engineer (R4763)$180K - $280K

Same $100K to $400K scale as every card. All Shield AI roles · How to read the bar

Observed changes

  1. Began meeting the published-salary criteria
  2. First observed on the employer's board
Observed since
Employer-stated posting date
2026-10-15
Where this pay comes from

Location as the employer wrote it: San Diego, California

USD 180,000 – 270,000 · per-year-salary · salaryRange

Method
Structured pay field published by the employer
Checked
Rule set
us-base-v2

The employer's job board publishes this pay as a dedicated data field. We read the field directly; no interpretation was needed.

What we verified

  • The pay figures come from the employer's own listing, quoted exactly above.
  • The pay is an annual base salary in US dollars with a minimum of at least $100,000.
  • The role was publicly listed on the employer's job board when last checked.

We do not verify what the employer will actually offer, whether the employer is still recruiting for the role, or anything beyond what the employer published. Full methodology.