Summer Intern – Strategy and Operations

Job Description

2026 Summer Intern – Strategy & Operations | Shield AI

The Tone:
This is a temporary internship at Shield AI, located in the U.S. (location unspecified). Shield AI is a deep-tech company founded in 2015, building intelligent systems to protect service members and civilians. Its products include the V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and Hivemind Vision. This role matters because it offers direct exposure to executive decision-making, fundraising, strategic partnerships, IPO readiness, and mission-critical initiatives, helping to scale a company at the frontier of defense and autonomous systems.

The TL;DR
• Role: Internship
• Type: Full-time, Temporary
• Location: U.S. (location unspecified)
• Pay: $25–$48 hourly
• Mission: Solve ambiguous problems, drive cross-functional execution, and help scale a company operating at the frontier of defense and autonomous systems.
• Tech Stack: Excel, Google Sheets, PowerPoint, Google Slides

What You’ll Actually Do
• Project Management: Drive high-priority projects across AI/autonomy, aerospace systems, international expansion, and strategic growth initiatives.
• Problem Solving: Break down ambiguous business and operational problems into structured analyses, actionable plans, and measurable outcomes.
• Market Analysis: Conduct market, competitive, and partnership analysis across commercial, defense, and international sectors.
• Cross-Functional Execution: Partner cross-functionally with engineering, product, finance, operations, and business development teams to drive execution on critical initiatives.
• Operational Improvement: Take ownership of high-impact “important but unowned” problems that improve company execution, communication, and operating cadence.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Student currently pursuing a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business, Economics, Engineering, Finance, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Experience: Proven record of high performance in demanding environments, including internships, research, startups, student leadership, consulting, finance, engineering, or operating roles. Must be authorized to work in the United States and available full-time for a 10-week summer internship.
• Skills: Exceptional analytical and structured problem-solving skills with the ability to synthesize complex information quickly, strong written and verbal communication skills including presentation building, ability to manage multiple priorities under tight timelines, and ability to operate independently with strong judgment and attention to detail.
• Bonus: Prior internship experience in strategy, consulting, investment banking, venture capital, private equity, startups, aerospace, defense, or high-growth technology companies; experience building financial models or supporting strategic transactions; demonstrated ability to lead complex cross-functional projects; strong interest in AI, autonomy, aerospace, defense technology, or national security; evidence of exceptional achievement such as founder experience or published research; ability to communicate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders; track record of identifying problems proactively and driving execution without needing detailed direction.