What you will do in this role:
- Design and develop fuel storage, transfer, and venting systems to support high-performance, long-endurance UAVs.
- Perform fluid and thermal analysis to optimize flow efficiency, pressure regulation, and system mass.
- Support integration of fuel systems with propulsion, avionics, and thermal management teams.
- Conduct CFD simulations, bench-level testing, and validation of pumps, valves, sensors, and tanks.
- Generate design documentation, system schematics, and verification plans to support engineering reviews and flight test readiness.
- Assist in supplier coordination, component selection, and qualification testing.
- Troubleshoot fuel system issues during prototype builds and flight test campaigns.
- Contribute to the development of system architecture and help mature design standards across new programs.
Required qualifications:
- B.S. or M.S. in Aerospace, Mechanical, or related engineering discipline.
- 4–7 years of experience in fuel or fluid systems design, analysis, or integration.
- Working knowledge of CFD and thermal/fluid simulation tools (ANSYS Fluent, OpenFOAM, MATLAB/Simulink).
- Experience with pumps, valves, and sensors for fuel or hydraulic systems.
- Familiarity with aerospace environmental and certification standards (e.g., DO-160, MIL-STD-810).
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills in fast-paced, cross-functional environments.
- U.S. Citizenship required.
- Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance desired.
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience supporting UAV, fighter, or propulsion system integration.
- Hands-on experience with prototype build, test, and troubleshooting.
- Familiarity with CATIA, NX, or SolidWorks for CAD design and modeling.
- Exposure to mission endurance optimization and energy management strategies.
Skills Required
- B.S. or M.S. in Aerospace, Mechanical, or related engineering discipline
- 4-7 years of experience in fuel or fluid systems design, analysis, or integration
- Working knowledge of CFD and thermal/fluid simulation tools (ANSYS Fluent, OpenFOAM, MATLAB/Simulink)
- Experience with pumps, valves, and sensors for fuel or hydraulic systems
- Familiarity with aerospace environmental and certification standards (DO-160, MIL-STD-810)
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills in fast-paced, cross-functional environments
- U.S. Citizenship
- Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance
- Experience supporting UAV, fighter, or propulsion system integration
- Hands-on experience with prototype build, test, and troubleshooting
- Familiarity with CATIA, NX, or SolidWorks for CAD design and modeling
- Exposure to mission endurance optimization and energy management strategies
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.
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 Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
