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Senior Staff Engineer, ML Ops (R4941)

Shield AISan Mateo, CaliforniaEngineering
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Salary
$280K - $420K USD
Job type
Full Time Employee
Posted
31 Aug 2026
Status
Open · checked 7d ago

About this role

Role Overview

The Senior Staff Engineer, ML Ops position at Defense in San Mateo, California is a full-time engineering role focused on shaping and building a Kubernetes-native AI platform. This opportunity suits an experienced technical leader who wants to drive developer experience and operational excellence for modern artificial intelligence systems.

Key Responsibilities

Define and build the AI Factory Reference Architecture, a Kubernetes-native platform used for developing, training, evaluating, and deploying next-generation AI systems.
Partner closely with machine learning researchers, platform engineers, and autonomy teams to deliver an exceptional developer experience for training and deploying modern AI models.
Balance researcher productivity, platform simplicity, operational excellence, and long-term maintainability across the software lifecycle.
Work hands-on across the stack to shape both the overall platform architecture and its practical implementation.
Stay closely aligned with the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence ecosystem to incorporate cutting-edge capabilities into the internal platform and external reference architecture.

Requirements

Experience building platforms or infrastructure for machine learning or autonomy systems in complex environments.
Demonstrated capability to partner with cross-functional teams including machine learning researchers and software engineers.
Strong background in balancing developer productivity with operational excellence and platform maintainability.
Ability to work hands-on across the entire technology stack to deliver robust architectural solutions.

Skills and Tools

Kubernetes
Machine Learning Operations (ML Ops)
Cloud and On-Premise Infrastructure

Salary and Benefits

Annual Salary: $280,000 to $420,000 USD per year
Employment Type: Full Time Employee

About the Company

Defense, operating as Shield AI, is a venture-backed defense technology company dedicated to protecting service members and civilians through intelligent systems. The organization develops advanced products including Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With facilities and offices spanning the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific region, the company actively supports global operations.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should visit the official company careers page to submit an application for this position.

Skills and tech stack

Kubernetes

Questions candidates ask

What is the location of the Senior Staff Engineer, ML Ops role?

The position is based in San Mateo, California.

Is this a remote position?

No, this is an on-site full-time employee role located in San Mateo, California.

What is the salary range for this job?

The annual salary ranges from $280,000 to $420,000 USD.

What technical skills are required?

Candidates should have experience with Kubernetes and machine learning operations.

What does the company do?

Defense builds autonomy systems for defense applications across air, maritime, and space platforms, including Hivemind autonomy software and V-BAT aircraft.

Ready to apply?

The application is on the official Shield AI careers page.

Apply on company site