The technician will build and modify prototype aircraft, integrate avionics and electrical systems, fabricate parts using 3D printing and other rapid-prototyping methods, and troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, communications, and system-level issues. They will also build, maintain, and troubleshoot HIL rigs and related test infrastructure, help establish and maintain a local prototyping and flight-operations lab, and support aircraft readiness and field testing.
This role is best suited for a versatile, self-sufficient senior technician who can move seamlessly between the lab, aircraft, HIL environment, and flight-test site—rapidly solving problems and helping engineering teams get systems ready for test and flight.
Flight Ops Technician III.
What You'll Do:
- Build, modify, assemble, maintain, and repair prototype unmanned aircraft and related test systems.
- Install and integrate avionics, sensors, compute hardware, radios, antennas, payloads, wiring, and other experimental hardware.
- Fabricate prototype and replacement components using 3D printing, hand and power tools, and other rapid-prototyping methods.
- Build, modify, and troubleshoot wiring harnesses, connectors, electrical assemblies, and aircraft electrical systems.
- Build, wire, configure, maintain, and troubleshoot HIL rigs, test fixtures, and related engineering test infrastructure.
- Integrate flight computers, avionics, sensors, actuators, communications equipment, and other aircraft hardware into HIL and bench-test environments.
- Diagnose mechanical, electrical, avionics, communications, networking, and system-level issues across aircraft and test equipment.
- Support SIL, HIL, VIL, bench, ground, and live-flight testing, including aircraft functional checks and troubleshooting.
- Perform aircraft inspections, maintenance, repairs, configuration changes, and pre- and post-flight activities.
- Help establish and maintain a local prototyping and flight-operations lab, including tools, test equipment, fabrication equipment, spares, batteries, and support equipment.
- Support flight operations, including aircraft setup, launch and recovery, test-site setup and teardown, and preparation of equipment for field deployments.
- Maintain aircraft, test-system, maintenance, configuration, inventory, and other technical documentation.
- Work closely with hardware, software, autonomy, and flight-test engineers to rapidly diagnose problems, implement modifications, and improve test capabilities.
- Transport personnel and equipment to test sites and travel within Ukraine to support testing, demonstrations, and operations.
- Mentor less-experienced technicians and maintain high standards for workmanship, configuration control, organization, and safety.
Required Qualifications:
- 5+ years of hands-on experience in UAS, aviation, aerospace, robotics, electronics, manufacturing, test support, or a related technical field.
- Strong mechanical and electrical aptitude with experience building, modifying, maintaining, or repairing complex electromechanical systems.
- Experience integrating hardware into aircraft, robotics, prototypes, test systems, or comparable platforms.
- Hands-on electrical experience, including wiring, connectors, soldering, crimping, cable fabrication, and electrical troubleshooting.
- Experience building, maintaining, or troubleshooting HIL rigs, test stands, test fixtures, or similar hardware/software integration environments.
- Ability to read and work from mechanical drawings, wiring diagrams, schematics, and engineering documentation
- Experience with rapid prototyping, fabrication, and iterative hardware development.
- Ability to systematically troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, communications, and system-level problems.
- Experience using common mechanical and electrical tools and test equipment.
- Experience supporting engineering, ground, flight, or field testing.
- Strong attention to detail, workmanship, safety, and configuration control.
- Ability to work independently and solve technical problems in fast-moving workshop, laboratory, flight-line, and field environments.
- Valid driver's license and ability to transport equipment and personnel to operational sites.
- Ability to travel within Ukraine as required.
Required Qualifications:
* Strong mechanical and electrical aptitude with experience building, modifying, maintaining, or repairing complex electromechanical systems.
* Experience integrating hardware into aircraft, robotics, prototypes, test systems, or comparable platforms.
* Hands-on electrical experience, including wiring, connectors, soldering, crimping, cable fabrication, and electrical troubleshooting.
* Experience building, maintaining, or troubleshooting HIL rigs, test stands, test fixtures, or similar hardware/software integration environments.
* Ability to read and work from mechanical drawings, wiring diagrams, schematics, and engineering documentation.
* Experience with rapid prototyping, fabrication, and iterative hardware development.
* Ability to systematically troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, communications, and system-level problems.
* Experience using common mechanical and electrical tools and test equipment.
* Experience supporting engineering, ground, flight, or field testing.
* Strong attention to detail, workmanship, safety, and configuration control.
* Ability to work independently and solve technical problems in fast-moving workshop, laboratory, flight-line, and field environments.
* Valid driver's license and ability to transport equipment and personnel to operational sites.
* Ability to travel within Ukraine as required.
Preferred Qualifications:
* Experience with autonomous or experimental aircraft and Group 1 or Group 2 UAS.
* Experience building or maintaining HIL environments for aircraft, robotics, or autonomous systems.
* Experience with 3D printing, CAD, and prototype part fabrication.
* Experience integrating avionics, flight computers, sensors, actuators, radios, antennas, or payload systems.
* Experience with PX4, ArduPilot, or similar flight-control systems.
* Familiarity with Ground Control Stations, telemetry, RF systems, datalinks, and networking.
* Familiarity with Linux, command-line tools, scripting, or basic software troubleshooting.
* Experience using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, power supplies, or similar electrical test equipment.
* Experience establishing or maintaining an engineering lab, prototype shop, HIL lab, or flight-operations facility.
* Background in defense, aerospace, robotics, aircraft maintenance, manufacturing, or flight test.
* Experience working in austere or rapidly changing field environments.
* Ukrainian and English language proficiency.
Skills Required
- 5+ years of hands-on experience in UAS, aviation, aerospace, robotics, electronics, manufacturing, test support, or a related technical field.
- Strong mechanical and electrical aptitude with experience building, modifying, maintaining, or repairing complex electromechanical systems.
- Experience integrating hardware into aircraft, robotics, prototypes, test systems, or comparable platforms.
- Hands-on electrical experience including wiring, connectors, soldering, crimping, cable fabrication, and electrical troubleshooting.
- Experience building, maintaining, or troubleshooting HIL rigs, test stands, test fixtures, or similar hardware/software integration environments.
- Ability to read and work from mechanical drawings, wiring diagrams, schematics, and engineering documentation.
- Experience with rapid prototyping, fabrication, and iterative hardware development.
- Ability to systematically troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, communications, and system-level problems.
- Experience using common mechanical and electrical tools and test equipment.
- Experience supporting engineering, ground, flight, or field testing.
- Strong attention to detail, workmanship, safety, and configuration control.
- Ability to work independently and solve technical problems in workshop, laboratory, flight-line, and field environments.
- Valid driver's license and ability to transport equipment and personnel to operational sites.
- Ability to travel within Ukraine as required.
- Experience maintaining or integrating fixed-wing and multirotor UAS.
- Experience with autonomous or experimental aircraft and Group 1 or Group 2 UAS.
- Experience building or maintaining HIL environments for aircraft, robotics, or autonomous systems.
- Experience with 3D printing, CAD, and prototype part fabrication.
- Experience integrating avionics, flight computers, sensors, actuators, radios, antennas, or payload systems.
- Experience with PX4, ArduPilot, or similar flight-control systems.
- Familiarity with Ground Control Stations, telemetry, RF systems, datalinks, and networking.
- Familiarity with Linux, command-line tools, scripting, or basic software troubleshooting.
- Experience using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, power supplies, or similar electrical test equipment.
- Experience establishing or maintaining an engineering lab, prototype shop, HIL lab, or flight-operations facility.
- Background in defense, aerospace, robotics, aircraft maintenance, manufacturing, or flight test.
- Experience working in austere or rapidly changing field environments.
- Ukrainian and English language proficiency.
Shield AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Company materials highlight comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with mental-health support and an EAP. Third-party benefits summaries also portray health coverage as a strong component of the package.
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Retirement Support — Offerings include a 401(k) with employer matching, cited on the careers page and independent benefits directories. Multiple sources indicate a match exists, though exact formulas have varied over time and warrant confirmation.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Company communications describe equity for all full-time hires and stock benefits as part of total rewards. Independent listings also note company equity/RSUs as a standard element.
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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