Join a high-impact mechanical test team developing next-generation aircraft that support the safety of service members and civilians. In this role, you'll help evaluate mechanical systems through hands-on testing, data collection, and analysis while working alongside experienced engineers to improve product performance and reliability.
We are seeking an entry-level Structures / Mechanical Test Engineer with a strong mechanical engineering foundation and interest in structural testing, instrumentation, hydraulic systems, CAD, and automation. This is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to build experience designing test equipment, executing mechanical tests, and contributing to hardware development in a fast-paced aerospace environment.
What you'll do:
- Support the design, assembly, and operation of mechanical test fixtures and systems involving hydraulic actuation, mechanical linkages, and sensor instrumentation.
- Assist with hydraulic system integration, setup, and troubleshooting under the guidance of senior engineers.
- Execute mechanical, structural, and environmental test plans while ensuring accurate and repeatable data collection.
- Install, wire, and calibrate sensors including load cells, pressure transducers, strain gauges, accelerometers, and displacement sensors.
- Develop and maintain Python scripts to support test automation, data processing, and visualization.
- Analyze test results, investigate unexpected behaviors, and document findings in clear technical reports.
- Collaborate with mechanical, systems, electrical, and manufacturing engineers to support product development and validation.
- Design simple test fixtures, adapters, and components using CAD while learning best practices for manufacturability and safety.
- Support Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to compare analytical predictions with physical test results.
- Assist with fabrication, assembly, and testing of metallic and composite components.
- Help maintain laboratory equipment, improve test processes, and contribute to a safe working environment.
Required qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
- 0-2 years of professional experience in mechanical engineering, testing, product development, or a related field (internships, co-ops, research, or project experience are welcomed).
- Familiarity with CAD software such as Siemens NX, SolidWorks, Creo, or similar.
- Basic understanding of mechanical systems, structural mechanics, and engineering fundamentals.
- Exposure to Python or another programming language for data analysis or automation.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a willingness to learn new tools and technologies.
- Effective written and verbal communication skills and the ability to collaborate in a team environment.
Preferred qualifications:
- Internship, research, Formula SAE, Baja SAE, robotics, capstone, or other hands-on engineering project experience involving mechanical testing or hardware development.
- Exposure to hydraulic or pneumatic systems.
- Familiarity with strain gauges, load cells, pressure sensors, or other instrumentation.
- Experience with laboratory testing, data acquisition systems, or experimental methods.
- Exposure to Finite Element Analysis (FEA).
- Experience working with composite materials through coursework, research, or project work.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related engineering discipline
- 0-2 years of professional experience in mechanical engineering, testing, product development, or related field (internships, co-ops, research, or project experience welcomed)
- Familiarity with CAD software such as Siemens NX, SolidWorks, Creo, or similar
- Basic understanding of mechanical systems, structural mechanics, and engineering fundamentals
- Exposure to Python or another programming language for data analysis or automation
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with willingness to learn
- Effective written and verbal communication skills and ability to collaborate in a team environment
- Internship, research, Formula SAE, Baja SAE, robotics, capstone, or other hands-on engineering project experience involving mechanical testing or hardware development
- Exposure to hydraulic or pneumatic systems
- Familiarity with strain gauges, load cells, pressure sensors, or other instrumentation
- Experience with laboratory testing, data acquisition systems, or experimental methods
- Exposure to Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
- Experience working with composite materials through coursework, research, or project work
What the Team is Saying
Shield AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage is described as excellent, with dental/vision and mental‑health support, and ancillary protections like life and disability appearing in benefit summaries. The breadth and perceived affordability of coverage are highlighted as a standout component of the package.
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Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave is featured alongside enhanced maternity benefits, fertility and childcare support, and onsite resources such as a Mother’s Room. These elements are positioned as competitive and above the minimal baseline for the company’s stage.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity is granted to all full‑time hires, with RSUs, double‑trigger tax timing, and tools to model scenarios (e.g., through Carta Tax). Communications also reference a transition from options to RSUs, reinforcing access and maturity of ownership programs.
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What We Do
At Shield AI, you won't wait years to see your work reach the field. You'll build hardware and software that operates in the real world right now, in the hands of the people who depend on it. Hivemind, our AI pilot, has been flying since 2018. It has flown more than 30 platforms, including an F-16, and it now sits under a U.S. Air Force production contract for Collaborative Combat Aircraft. When you write code or shape a system here, you contribute to technology with a proven flight record and a clear production future. V-BAT flies intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions with an operational record that stretches from Ukraine to the Indo-Pacific. It delivers eyes where they matter most, in the most demanding conditions on earth. The teams behind it watch their work get tested where the stakes are real. X-BAT takes its first flight this year. It's an AI-piloted fighter that needs no runway, built to operate where traditional aircraft can't. Join now and you help shape a program at its earliest, most formative stage. That's the kind of ground-floor work that defines a career. Do the most impactful work of your life, on problems that matter. Autonomy at this level asks a lot of you. You'll take on problems in perception, planning, and control that few teams anywhere are equipped to solve. You'll work across disciplines, from aerospace and robotics to machine learning and systems engineering, alongside people who hold themselves to an exacting standard and expect the same from you. Our mission is clear: protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. That purpose runs through every decision, every design review, and every deployment. It's why the work here carries a weight you can feel. Ready to join our mission? Explore our open roles and find where you fit.
Why Work With Us
Founded in 2015 by a former Navy SEAL, Shield AI builds AI pilots and uncrewed aircraft. Veterans aren't an afterthought here, they're at every level. It's why the work carries weight: AI pilots and uncrewed aircraft flying real missions, from Ukraine to the Indo-Pacific, protecting service members and civilians.
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