Shield AI is seeking a Senior Fluid Systems Engineer to support development and flight test of of liquid cooling and thermal management systems for our groundbreaking jet-engine VTOL military UAV platform, X-BAT. You will design components and fluid systems, engage with suppliers, perform system and component analysis and sizing, and own multiple aspects of X-BAT’s fluid systems. You may also travel to support flight test operations in the control room out of Shield AI’s Newton, KS test site during Shield AI’s flight test campaigns.
Required qualifications:
- B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (or equivalent).
- 5+ years experience with environmental control systems, liquid cooling systems, thermal systems, component design, system analysis, supplier management, requirements management, etc.
- Demonstrated ability to execute design, build, and test with rigor at speed
- Strong CAD skills (NX preferred)
- Demonstrated proficiency with fluid system analysis, including 1st principles, Simscape, Amesim, etc.
- Ability to work independently in fast-paced, cross-functional teams
- A demonstrated record of working hard, being trustworthy, holding yourself to high standards, and being kind to others
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience with environmental and operational robustness (vibration/shock, thermal extremes, contamination, corrosion, sand/dust, etc.).
- Experience supporting ground test and flight test campaigns and system checkout, failure investigations.
- Familiarity with reliability and safety methods (DFMEA/FTA, fault containment, safe-state thinking) in collaboration with systems safety.
- Familiarity with fighter-class and larger aircraft flight test operations, control room operations, radio communication procedures, and test data processing and presentation.
Skills Required
- B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (or equivalent)
- 5+ years experience with environmental control systems, liquid cooling systems, thermal systems, component design, system analysis, supplier management, requirements management
- Demonstrated ability to execute design, build, and test with rigor at speed
- Strong CAD skills (NX preferred)
- Proficiency with fluid system analysis (1st principles, Simscape, Amesim)
- Ability to work independently in fast-paced, cross-functional teams
- Demonstrated record of professionalism, trustworthiness, high standards, and collegiality
- Experience with environmental and operational robustness (vibration/shock, thermal extremes, contamination, corrosion, sand/dust)
- Experience supporting ground test and flight test campaigns and system checkout, failure investigations
- Familiarity with reliability and safety methods (DFMEA/FTA, fault containment, safe-state thinking)
- Familiarity with fighter-class and larger aircraft flight test operations, control room operations, radio communication procedures, and test data processing and presentation
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.
