10 Shield AI engineering leaders
A vice president of engineering, senior directors of engineering and aircraft engineering, and directors of engineering for autonomy, flight test and electrical power systems are among these Shield AI engineering leaders. A reader can learn how engineering leaders work at Shield AI from people who have held the role.
Professionals to explore
Adam Salter
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director of Engineering, Software Operations · Shield AI
Adam Salter has been Senior Director of Engineering, Software Operations at Shield AI since May 2025, based in San Diego. Adam Salter was Senior Principal Cloud Architect (Senior Manager) at Autodesk from 2022 to 2025 and Principal Cloud Security Architect (Director) at Salesforce from 2019 to 2022.
Brae Irwin
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director of Engineering · Shield AI
Brae Irwin has been Senior Director of Engineering at Shield AI since January 2026, based in San Diego. Brae Irwin was Systems Engineering Sr Mgr at Lockheed Martin from 2020 to 2026, Program Management Sr Mgr at Lockheed Martin from 2018 to 2019 and Systems Architect Sr Stf at Lockheed Martin from 2017 to 2018.
Callum McGregor
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director of Engineering · Shield AI
Callum McGregor has been Senior Director of Engineering at Shield AI since May 2024, based in Melbourne, and describes leading engineering strategy and capability development across autonomous systems and ISR payload technologies. Callum McGregor was Chief Technology Officer at Sentient Vision Systems from 2023 to 2024.
Jack Watson
LinkedInExperience: Director of Engineering · Shield AI
Jack Watson has been Director of Engineering at Shield AI since March 2026, with a headline naming flight test, based in the Wichita area. Jack Watson was Aeronautical Engineer Principle at Lockheed Martin from 2021 to 2026 and Flight Test Operations Manager at Northrop Grumman from 2017 to 2019.
Joey Nielson
LinkedInExperience: Director of Engineering Operations · Shield AI
Joey Nielson has been Director of Engineering Operations at Shield AI since January 2026 and was Director of Mechanical Engineering at Shield AI from 2023 to 2025. Joey Nielson was Senior Manager of Mechanical Engineering at Shield AI from 2021 to 2023 and Manager of Mechanical Engineering at Shield AI from 2020 to 2021.
Mark White II
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director of Engineering · Shield AI
Mark White II has been Senior Director of Engineering at Shield AI since July 2025, based in Greater Boston, and describes building novel, autonomous aircraft. Mark White II was Director of Engineering at Shield AI from 2018 to 2021, Lead Electrical Engineer at Shield AI from 2017 to 2018 and Staff Electrical Engineer at Qualcomm in 2016.
Matthew Zolot
LinkedInExperience: Director of Engineering, Electrical Power Systems · Shield AI
Matthew Zolot has been Director of Engineering, Electrical Power Systems at Shield AI since April 2026, based in San Diego. Matthew Zolot was Senior Manager, Power Systems Group / Senior Power Systems Engineer at Anduril Industries from 2022 to 2026 and Chief Engineer / Lead Electrical Engineer at General Atomics from 2018 to 2022.
Sarah Bramson
LinkedInExperience: Vice President of Engineering, Hivemind Solutions · Shield AI
Sarah Bramson has been Vice President of Engineering, Hivemind Solutions at Shield AI since May 2026 and was Sr Director Engineering, Hivemind Solutions at Shield AI from 2025 to 2026. Sarah Bramson was Senior Director, Head of Hardware at Johnson & Johnson from 2024 to 2025 and Senior Director, Engineering at Northrop Grumman from 2021 to 2024.
Shobhit Srivastava
LinkedInExperience: Director of Engineering · Shield AI
Shobhit Srivastava has been Director of Engineering at Shield AI since December 2024, with a headline naming AI and Autonomy, and was Senior Staff Engineer Senior Manager at Shield AI from 2022 to 2024. Shobhit Srivastava was Staff Engineer Manager, AI at Shield AI from 2019 to 2022 and Navigation and Autonomy Engineer at Shield AI from 2017 to 2019.
Zach Combs
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director Aircraft Engineering · Shield AI
Zach Combs has been Senior Director Aircraft Engineering at Shield AI since May 2026 and was Director Aircraft Engineering at Shield AI from 2025 to 2026. Zach Combs was Skunkworks Software Director at Lockheed Martin from 2022 to 2025 and F-35 Agile Software Operations Director at Lockheed Martin from 2021 to 2022.
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's engineering area, such as autonomy software, aircraft, flight test, electrical power, software operations or engineering operations, to the question you bring. Check when each person started the current role to judge how recent the experience is.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01What did you focus on first when you took on your current engineering role?
- 02How have you balanced speed of development with test and safety requirements on autonomous systems?
- 03What has your own work taught you about growing an engineering group in defense technology?
Reaching Shield AI engineering leaders
How can I contact one of these Shield AI engineering leaders?
Pick one of the 10 people on this page and choose "Book a paid call", or describe your project to find others. You offer a fee for a 15-minute call or a written answer, Instant Expert finds the person's work email and sends the invitation, and they decide whether to accept. The list covers 1 company: Shield AI, based on profile data retrieved on October 21, 2026. Being listed here doesn't mean someone has agreed to take calls.
How much does it cost to reach Shield AI engineering leaders?
You choose the offer, starting at $5 per person. The offer is what the person receives, and Instant Expert's fee is added on top, so a $100 offer costs you $125. The fee is 20% of what you pay. You're charged only when the person books the call or sends the answer.
What if they don't reply?
You pay nothing. Instant Expert sends follow-up reminders, and if the person hasn't booked or answered within 7 days, the request expires and any hold on your card is released. You can invite several of the 10 people on this list at once and cap your total spend, so you pay only for the ones who accept.
Can an AI agent ask one of these Shield AI engineering leaders a question?
Yes. An agent with a USDC wallet on Base can ask one question without an Instant Expert account. It names the person, for example by the LinkedIn URL on this page, and pays per ask over x402 (HTTP 402). The person answers in writing or by voice note, and if nobody answers within 7 days, the payment goes back to the wallet automatically. Claude and ChatGPT can do the same through the Instant Expert connector: setup is at /docs/mcp for Claude and /docs/chatgpt for ChatGPT. x402 docs
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot; roles marked former had ended by then. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
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