What you'll do:
- Directly contribute to the design, analysis, and integration of mechanical systems and subsystems for V-BAT aircraft and ground support equipment, including payload integrations, avionics packaging, harnessing and connector selection, transport structures, and launch & recovery systems.
- Own mechanical engineering deliverables across the product lifecycle—from early concept and prototyping through test, production, and field support—with a bias toward execution and delivery.
- Partner closely with Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Program Management, and Flight Operations to ensure designs are buildable, testable, and reliable in real-world environments.
- Provide hands-on technical support during ground and flight testing, demos, and field operations; rapidly troubleshoot and implement design fixes under tight timelines.
Required qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or closely related field from an accredited institution.
- 2-3 years of hands-on mechanical design experience in aerospace, ground support equipment, or related ruggedized hardware systems.
- Proficiency in 3D CAD software (SolidWorks, NX, CATIA, or similar) with demonstrated ability to create detailed drawings, assemblies, and GD&T-compliant documentation
- Strong foundation in structural design, material selection, and manufacturing processes.
- Experience performing engineering calculations (stress, thermal, tolerance stack-up, fatigue, FEA as applicable) to validate design integrity
- Cross-functional collaboration experience with Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, and Program Management.
Preferred qualifications:
- Root cause analysis and structured problem-solving capability to resolve mechanical failures.
- Familiarity with industry standards (ASME, ISO, ASTM, or industry-specific regulatory requirements).
- Familiarity with MIL-STD requirements and environmental qualification testing.
- Familiarity to power distribution, hydraulics, or aerospace support systems.
- Experience working with external suppliers or contract manufacturers.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or closely related field from an accredited institution.
- 2-3 years of hands-on mechanical design experience in aerospace, ground support equipment, or related ruggedized hardware systems.
- Proficiency in 3D CAD software (SolidWorks, NX, CATIA, or similar) with ability to create detailed drawings and assemblies.
- Ability to produce GD&T-compliant documentation and detailed manufacturing drawings.
- Strong foundation in structural design, material selection, and manufacturing processes.
- Experience performing engineering calculations (stress, thermal, tolerance stack-up, fatigue, FEA) to validate designs.
- Cross-functional collaboration experience with Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, and Program Management.
- Root cause analysis and structured problem-solving capability to resolve mechanical failures.
- Familiarity with industry standards (ASME, ISO, ASTM) and MIL-STD requirements/environmental qualification testing.
- Familiarity with power distribution, hydraulics, or aerospace support systems.
- Experience working with external suppliers or contract manufacturers.
What the Team is Saying
Shield AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Company materials describe excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage alongside a mental‑health EAP. Site perks such as an onsite gym in DC and a gym discount in San Diego support a health‑focused offering.
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Retirement Support — Careers materials highlight a 401(k) with company match as part of the standard package. A Total Rewards overview emphasizes retirement features within a broader, transparent compensation view.
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Career-Linked Recognition & Rewards — Compensation for in‑demand technical and senior go‑to‑market roles is described as competitive, with visible engineering ranges and top‑end packages. This points to meaningful upside tied to role, level, and scarce skills.
Shield AI Insights
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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Shield AI Teams
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Shield AI Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
