Do you enjoy working in a dynamic lab environment and contributing to hardware that can directly impact the safety of service members and civilians? Shield AI is looking for a hands-on engineer to help design, test, and validate the next generation of intelligent systems.
The Mechanical Test team’s mission is to inform and improve Shield AI hardware design by quantifying product performance through custom measurement systems, specialized testing, and rigorous analysis. This role will focus on vibration, modal, structural, and environmental testing to help engineering teams understand how our products perform in real-world operating conditions.
We are looking for candidates who are passionate about engineering principles, curious about how things work, and excited to grow in a fast-paced, collaborative environment. You will work closely with cross-functional partners to evaluate design performance, troubleshoot issues, and improve the customer experience.
Success in this role requires technical creativity, strong organization, clear communication, and a willingness to listen, learn, debate respectfully, and solve difficult problems as part of a high-performing team.
What you'll do:
- Apply technical and creative problem-solving skills to quickly design, build, and deploy instrumented test and measurement systems.
- Support manual and automated data collection, processing, and analysis.
- Use measurement science and engineering analysis to understand the static and dynamic inputs, loads, and system responses that drive product performance.
- Build trusted relationships with mechanical design teams and apply your expertise to help identify the best design paths quickly.
- Plan and execute test programs, including ground and flight vibration testing, modal testing for finite element model validation, vibration troubleshooting, and strain gauge testing of structural components.
- Perform shaker table testing and support hardware qualification and development test campaigns.
- Maintain test equipment and ensure calibration requirements remain current.
- Develop test plans, technical reports, and detailed data reviews that clearly communicate results and inform design decisions.
- Support other test and engineering activities as needed.
Required qualifications:
- B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Structural Engineering, or a related technical field.
- Hands-on experience with vibration testing of mechanical systems; internship, research, or project team experience is applicable.
- Hands-on experience performing MIL-STD testing (e.g., MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-461) including vibration, shock, thermal, and EMI/EMC testing.
- Experience with CAD modeling (NX preferred).
- Working knowledge of finite element analysis principles.
- Experience with modal testing.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Demonstrated ability to work hard, act as a trustworthy teammate, hold yourself and others to high standards, and treat others with kindness and respect.
- Track record of taking ownership of development processes, test efforts, or technical features and delivering high-quality outcomes.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced development environment, navigate ambiguity, overcome obstacles, and deliver results on schedule.
- Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance desired.
Preferred qualifications:
- M.S. or Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Structural Engineering, or a related technical field.
- Leadership experience on a project, research, or product development team.
- Experience with root cause investigation, failure analysis, design of experiments, or structured problem-solving methods.
- Experience in startup, R&D, aerospace, defense, robotics, UAV, or high-reliability hardware environments.
- Demonstrated adaptability, agility, and ability to innovate under pressure while meeting dynamic project demands.
Skills Required
- B.S. in Aerospace, Mechanical, Structural Engineering, or related field
- Hands-on experience with vibration testing of mechanical systems (internship, research, or project experience acceptable)
- Hands-on experience performing MIL-STD testing (e.g., MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-461) including vibration, shock, thermal, and EMI/EMC
- Experience with CAD modeling (NX preferred)
- Working knowledge of finite element analysis principles
- Experience with modal testing
- Experience with shaker table testing and structural/strain gauge testing
- Ability to support manual and automated data collection, processing, and analysis
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Demonstrated ability to take ownership and deliver high-quality outcomes
- Ability to work in a fast-paced development environment and collaborate cross-functionally
- Maintain test equipment and ensure calibration requirements remain current
- Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance
- M.S. or Ph.D. in related technical field
- Leadership experience on a project, research, or product development team
- Experience with root cause investigation, failure analysis, or design of experiments
- Experience in startup, R&D, aerospace, defense, robotics, UAV, or high-reliability hardware environments
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.
