As a Principal Fluid & Thermal Systems Engineer at Shield AI, you will lead the design, development, and optimization of fluid and thermal systems for our advanced autonomous UAVs and ground systems. Your expertise fluid & thermal system design will drive innovation, prototyping, testing, and the successful integration of solutions that operate reliably in challenging environments. This role requires technical leadership, collaboration with cross-functional teams, and an unwavering commitment to delivering excellence from concept to production.
What you'll do:
- Own design and analysis of fluid and thermal systems for aircraft and ground platforms.
- Develop and implement innovative thermal solutions
- Use first-principles engineering to drive design decisions to yield optimal solutions
- Research technologies for integration into complex solutions
- Conduct advanced simulations to predict system performance and refine designs
- Execute testing and validation efforts, including data acquisition, post-processing, and verification against requirements
- Collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams to integrate fluid and thermal system designs into larger system architectures.
- Mentor and guide junior engineers, fostering technical growth and excellence within the team.
- Identify suppliers and build successful supplier management relationships for procurement of components or systems for fluid and thermal system designs
- Other duties as assigned
Required qualifications:
- Minimum 15+ years of experience in Fluid or Thermal System design, with a proven track record of technical excellence.
- B.S. or advanced degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related Engineering discipline.
- Deep understanding of heat transfer, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, and system-level thermal management.
- Experience implementing system models in commercial tools, such as MATLAB Simscape, Amesim, etc.
- Experience developing custom engineering models in Excel and in languages such as MATLAB, Python, etc.
- Experience in fluid and thermal system testing, including sensor integration, data acquisition, and analysis.
- Expertise in 3D CAD modeling tools such as Siemens NX or equivalent.
- Demonstrated ability to execute projects with minimal oversight, assume full ownership, and deliver exceptional outcomes.
- Excellence in supplier management, COTS component sourcing, optimization/trade studies
- Proven success in dynamic, fast-paced environments.
- Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance desired.
Preferred qualifications:
- Extensive experience with fluid & thermal system design, analysis, manufacture and test for aircraft
- Familiarity with fluid and thermal system effects on aircraft performance
- Familiarity with startup or R&D environments, demonstrating adaptability and agility under pressure.
- Strong knowledge of environmental standards and certification processes for aerospace or defense systems.
- A passion for innovation and the ability to push boundaries in fluid & thermal system development.
Skills Required
- 15+ years of experience in fluid or thermal systems design
- Bachelor's degree or advanced degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering discipline
- Deep understanding of heat transfer, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, and system-level thermal management
- Experience implementing system models in commercial tools such as MATLAB Simscape or Amesim
- Experience developing custom engineering models using Excel, MATLAB, Python, or similar languages
- Experience with fluid and thermal system testing, sensor integration, data acquisition, and analysis
- Expertise with 3D CAD modeling tools such as Siemens NX or equivalent
- Ability to execute projects with minimal oversight, assume ownership, and deliver results
- Experience with supplier management, COTS component sourcing, and optimization or trade studies
- Experience working in dynamic, fast-paced environments
- Extensive experience designing, analyzing, manufacturing, and testing fluid and thermal systems for aircraft
- Familiarity with fluid and thermal system effects on aircraft performance
- Familiarity with startup or R&D environments
- Strong knowledge of environmental standards and certification processes for aerospace or defense systems
- Ability to obtain an S//SAR-level security clearance
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 Teams
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Shield AI Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
