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Our mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems.
The Role
Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With nine offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
Job Description:
Our 2026 Co-Op program is an excellent opportunity for rising graduates to gain deep, hands-on experience in a mission-driven and innovative engineering environment. This paid, full-time program spans multiple months during the academic year, offering extended immersion in real-world hardware development and testing.
The Propulsion Engineering Co-op will contribute to the development and optimization of propulsion systems for X-BAT. Responsibilities include hands-on work with low bypass turbofan, jet fuel-based fuel delivery systems, and oil management subsystems.
The position involves both experimental and analytical tasks, including data acquisition, engine performance evaluation, and design iteration. This role provides direct exposure to jet engine fundamental, heat transfer, fluid dynamics, mechanical design, and UAV propulsion architecture.
The ideal start date is January 2026, and the end date is flexible (around~6 months).
What you'll do:
- Own a development project that is tailored to the start date and duration of your co-op.
- Collaborate with engineers in design, test, and validation of X-BAT UAV propulsion components, with an emphasis on designing for manufacturability (DFM).
- Support development of systems related to oil delivery, fuel delivery, or thermal management for air-cooled piston engines.
- Conduct data collection, performance analysis, and report generation from engine and propeller tests.
- Participate in troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, and implementation of propulsion system improvements.
Required qualifications:
- Have completed at least the 2nd year of a relevant degree. Typically, Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering.
- Strong technical fundamentals.
- Have been part of an engineering team/club, preferably with a role related to propulsion.
- Experience with mechanical design software and tools such as NX, SolidWorks, or similar.
- Demonstrated history of showing ownership of project outcomes and delivering exceptional results.
- Record of working hard, being a trustworthy teammate, holding yourself and others to high standards, and being kind to others.
#intern
Full-time regular employee offer package:
Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
Temporary employee offer package:
Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)
Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.
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Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.
Shield AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Shield AI and has not been reviewed or approved by Shield AI.
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage is described as excellent, spanning medical, dental, vision, mental‑health EAP, and optional pet insurance. Location‑based wellness perks such as onsite or discounted gym access reinforce the health offering.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity is positioned as a standard component of total rewards for full‑time employees, with stock/RSUs noted across roles. Access appears broad‑based rather than limited to select cohorts.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time‑off programs highlight paid parental leave alongside an accrual‑based PTO structure with a high carryover cap. Flexibility elements such as flexible hours complement the core leave offering.
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The Company
What We Do
Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide.
Why Work With Us
What makes Shield AI special is our people. We unlock the power of autonomy, and in the face of overwhelming odds and challenges, we find ways to win and make a difference for our customers. We bring together software, AI, and aerospace engineering disciplines to deploy the most intelligent aviation capabilities in the world.
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