As a Systems Integration Engineer, you will own the design, integration, and installation of aircraft systems and components under the guidance of senior engineers. You will contribute to mechanical part design, installation layouts, drawing creation, and hardware integration activities while developing a strong foundation in aircraft design, manufacturing, and multidisciplinary engineering.
The ideal candidate is an self-starter with strong engineering fundamentals, a passion for aircraft development, and a desire to learn from experienced engineers. They are eager to contribute to multidisciplinary teams, solve challenging engineering problems, and develop expertise in aircraft integration and mechanical design.
What you'll do:
- Design mechanical components, brackets, sheet metal parts, and assemblies.
- Assist in developing aircraft installation layouts and subsystem packaging.
- Design routing paths for EWIS, hydraulic, fuel, pneumatic, and ECS systems while coordinating interfaces with adjacent aircraft structures and subsystems.
- Create engineering drawings and documentation.
- Support CAD modeling and product structure development.
- Assist with prototype builds and aircraft integration activities.
- Support manufacturing and assembly issue resolution.
- Participate in design reviews.
- Apply GD&T and tolerance stack-up analyses to ensure manufacturable and interchangeable designs.
- Colllaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate avionics and other system components seamlessly within the aircraft.
Required qualifications:
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline.
- 0-2 years of professional experience designing and integrating mechanical systems for aircraft, aerospace, defense, robotics, automotive, or other complex electromechanical products.
- Demonstrated proficiency creating 3D CAD models, assemblies, and engineering drawings using NX, CATIA, SolidWorks, Creo, or a comparable CAD platform.
- Understanding of mechanical design fundamentals, including machine design, material selection, fastening methods, and basic structural design principles.
- Familiarity with designing machined, fabricated, and sheet metal components suitable for manufacturing and assembly.
- Basic understanding of engineering drawings, drawing standards, and GD&T in accordance with ASME Y14.5.
- Familiarity with Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) principles.
- Basic understanding of aircraft or complex mechanical subsystem installation concepts, including equipment mounting, packaging, accessibility, and maintainability.
- Familiarity with mechanical and electrical routing concepts for electrical wiring, hydraulic tubing, pneumatic tubing, or similar mechanical systems.
- Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, assembly documentation, and Bills of Material (BOMs).
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to apply engineering fundamentals to practical design challenges.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to work effectively on multidisciplinary engineering teams.
Preferred qualifications:
- Internship or co-op experience supporting aircraft, aerospace, defense, robotics, automotive, or other complex electromechanical products.
- Hands-on experience developing mechanical components, assemblies, or installation hardware for student projects, Formula SAE, Baja SAE, Design Build Fly, or similar engineering projects.
- Experience using PLM systems such as Teamcenter, Windchill, or 3DEXPERIENCE.
- Familiarity with aircraft installation drawings, assembly drawings, or manufacturing documentation.
- Exposure to prototype builds, manufacturing support, or hardware integration activities.
- Experience performing basic engineering calculations, tolerance analyses, or structural hand calculations.
- Experience using FEA tools such as NASTRAN, ANSYS, Siemens Simcenter, Abaqus, orCreo Simulate for basic static or modal analyses.
- Familiarity with aerospace standards, military specifications, or FAA design practices.
- Experience collaborating within multidisciplinary engineering teams using formal engineering change or configuration management processes.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline
- 0-2 years of professional experience designing and integrating mechanical systems for aircraft, aerospace, defense, robotics, automotive, or other complex electromechanical products
- Proficiency creating 3D CAD models, assemblies, and engineering drawings using NX, CATIA, SolidWorks, Creo, or comparable CAD platform
- Understanding of mechanical design fundamentals including machine design, material selection, fastening methods, and basic structural design principles
- Familiarity with designing machined, fabricated, and sheet metal components suitable for manufacturing and assembly
- Basic understanding of engineering drawings, drawing standards, and GD&T in accordance with ASME Y14.5
- Familiarity with Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) principles
- Basic understanding of aircraft or complex mechanical subsystem installation concepts including equipment mounting, packaging, accessibility, and maintainability
- Familiarity with mechanical and electrical routing concepts for electrical wiring, hydraulic tubing, pneumatic tubing, or similar mechanical systems
- Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, assembly documentation, and Bills of Material (BOMs)
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with ability to apply engineering fundamentals to practical design challenges
- Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to work effectively on multidisciplinary engineering teams
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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Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
