Shieldai · Onsite · Washington, D.C.
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:
Lead the security strategy behind advanced, mission-critical technology. In this role, you’ll drive secure and scalable solutions, collaborate across technical and business teams, and help ensure complex systems are protected, compliant, and ready for real-world operations.
What you'll do:
Own the authorization portfolio
Hold overall accountability for RMF execution across all Shield AI classified systems under JSIG, DAAPM, and NIST SP 800-53, driving toward continuous authorization as the goal state.
Maintain a single authoritative view of authorization posture: ATO and IATT status, expiration dates, conditions, open POA&M items, and assessment findings across every system and site.
Own the accreditation roadmap and commit dates with program management, and manage the dependencies — facility, network, tooling, and personnel — that determine whether those dates hold.
Represent Shield AI as the senior security authority with Authorizing Officials, SCAs, government program security officers, and DCSA or cognizant SAPCO representatives.
Drive reciprocity and inheritance strategy so controls implemented once are reused across programs and sites instead of re-litigated in each package.
Approve risk acceptance recommendations, deviations, and mitigation strategies before they go to the government, and escalate residual risk to Shield AI leadership with a clear position.
Build the capability, not just the packages
Define the enterprise continuous monitoring strategy — vulnerability scanning, STIG and SRG compliance, audit review, and configuration drift detection — and hold the team to a reportable cadence.
Standardize package templates, control evidence libraries, hardening baselines, and inheritance documentation so new enclaves start from an accredited pattern.
Invest in automation — infrastructure as code, scripted STIG application, scan and evidence pipelines — to make compliance repeatable rather than heroic.
Select and own the security compliance toolchain (eMASS or Xacta, ACAS/Nessus, SCAP, SIEM) including budget, licensing, and government-directed tooling requirements.
Define metrics that reflect real security posture and report them to Federal Systems and company leadership.
Partner across the company
Work with IT, network, platform, and product security engineers so security architecture is designed in rather than retrofitted before an assessment.
Partner with Industrial Security, Facilities, and Contracts on new facility and enclave stand-ups from concept through ATO, including accredited network extensions between facilities.
Advise program managers and engineering leadership on accreditation timelines and the security consequences of architecture, schedule, and staffing decisions.
Own incident response leadership on classified systems: containment, spillage and contamination response, government reporting, and after-action corrective plans.
Ensure the classified user population is trained, access is least-privilege and auditable, and data transfer and media control actions follow program guidance.
Required qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical field
8+ years of experience in cybersecurity engineering, defense systems, mission systems, or military aerospace programs
Experience leading cybersecurity activities for complex integrated systems or defense platforms
Strong knowledge of RMF, STIGs, system hardening, network security, secure architectures, and vulnerability management processes
Experience working across hardware, software, networking, and mission system integration environments
Active Top Secret Clearance with SCI Eligibility
Preferred qualifications:
Experience supporting military aircraft, UAV, mission systems, or tactical communication platforms
Familiarity with resilient system architectures, zero trust principles, cross-domain solutions, and contested environment operations
Experience with MBSE methodologies and tools such as Cameo Systems Modeler
Background supporting cybersecurity test events, airworthiness, or platform accreditation activities
#LI-ML2
#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.
