Senior Staff Pre-Sales Program Manager, Hivemind Customer Engagement (R3264) - Shield AI

Job Title: Senior Staff Pre-Sales Program Manager, Hivemind Customer Engagement (R3264)
Job Location: San Diego Metro Area
Job Listing URL: https://jobs.lever.co/shieldai/5c0d94e4-250b-42f9-a840-ad060d3fa38a
Job Description: Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent, autonomous systems. Its products include Hivemind Enterprise—EdgeOS, Pilot, Commander, and Forge—as well as V-BAT and Sentient Vision Systems (wide-area motion imaging software). With offices in San Diego, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Abu Dhabi (UAE), Kyiv (Ukraine), and Melbourne (Australia), Shield AI’s technology actively supports U.S. and allied operations worldwide.

For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X and Instagram.

Shield AI is building the world’s best AI pilot. Our Hivemind technology enables autonomous operations for aircraft and unmanned systems in complex, contested environments. As we expand our market presence, we are seeking a Pre-Sales & Partnerships Program Manager to drive technical engagement with potential customers, support key partnerships, and ensure the success of Hivemind adoption.

As a Pre-Sales & Partnerships Program Manager, you will play a pivotal role in accelerating Hivemind adoption by working closely with prospective customers, partners, and internal teams. Your focus will be on driving pre-sales technical validation, building strategic relationships, and managing partner integrations. You will ensure customers and partners experience a seamless onboarding journey and provide the technical expertise necessary to drive deal closure.
What you'll do:
Lead Pre-Sales Engagements: Serve as the technical program manager for pre-sales efforts, ensuring customers understand and can evaluate Hivemind’s capabilities effectively.
Manage Key Partnerships: Oversee partner onboarding, engagement, and integration efforts, ensuring a streamlined collaboration between Shield AI and technology or deployment partners.
Drive Customer Success in Pre-Sales: Support proof-of-concept (POC) demonstrations, technical deep-dives, and pilot programs to validate Hivemind in customer environments.
Cross-Functional Coordination: Work closely with Engineering, Business Development, and Product teams to align pre-sales strategy with technical capabilities and customer needs.
Process & Documentation Optimization: Develop and refine playbooks, best practices, and repeatable processes for pre-sales engagements and partnership management.
Ensure Seamless Partner Integrations: Facilitate technical coordination for partners integrating Hivemind into their platforms, ensuring compatibility and mission success.
Market & Competitive Analysis: Gather customer and partner feedback to inform Shield AI’s roadmap, enabling continuous improvements in Hivemind’s offerings.
Required Qualifications:
8+ years of experience in a technical program management, pre-sales engineering, or partnerships role within AI, autonomy, defense technology, or software development.
Strong experience in pre-sales engagements, proof-of-concept delivery, and partner relationship management.
Familiarity with autonomous systems, AI-driven software, and SDK/API integrations in real-world applications.
Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills, able to bridge technical and business discussions effectively.
Proven ability to coordinate cross-functional teams in fast-paced environments, ensuring smooth execution of pre-sales and partnership initiatives.
Experience in government, aerospace, or defense sectors is a strong plus.
Preferred Qualifications:
Engineering background in addition business (ie MBA) acumen
Experience working in the defense or aerospace industry with knowledge of government customers and military use cases.
Familiarity with autonomous vehicle software, UAV systems, or robotic applications.
Certification in project management methodologies (e.g., PMP, Agile, or Scrum).