Shield AI develops AI-powered autonomy software and aircraft systems that protect service members and civilians by enabling intelligent operations in contested environments. As part of the X-BAT program, you will help develop and validate next-generation autonomous aircraft and mission-critical hardware that must perform reliably in demanding operational conditions.
Job Description:Shield AI is seeking a Lead Mechanical Engineer, Hardware Test to lead the design and development of mechanical test infrastructure that enables rapid, rigorous validation of X-BAT hardware. This role will own the mechanical side of hardware testing, from concept through deployment, by building robust test stands, fixtures, and support equipment for engineering and production-level test activities.
The ideal candidate is a strong technical leader who can manage a small team, establish sound engineering processes, and drive execution in a fast-paced hardware environment. Success in this role requires hands-on experience with mechanical design, fixture development, analysis, fabrication support, and cross-functional coordination in support of complex aerospace hardware test programs.
What you'll do:
- Lead a team of mechanical engineers in designing, building, and maintaining X-BAT hardware test stands and fixtures that support subsystem, integration, and qualification testing.
- Perform core people-lead responsibilities, including work planning, technical direction, regular 1:1s, coaching, feedback, and performance development for the team.
- Own requirements gathering, concept development, detailed design, and validation of multiple test stands used to evaluate X-BAT hardware and supporting subsystems.
- Design fixtures, tooling, structural support hardware, and mechanical systems for engineering and production-level test applications.
- Perform mechanical analyses such as hand calculations and FEA-informed assessments for strength, stiffness, thermal behavior, durability, and safety.
- Define and apply industry-standard mechanical engineering practices, including GD&T, tolerance analysis, DFM/DFA, design reviews, release documentation, and configuration discipline.
- Partner with test, electrical, avionics, manufacturing, and technician teams to integrate test hardware that is safe, repeatable, maintainable, and efficient to operate.nyc+1
- Support fabrication and build activities by working closely with internal shops and external vendors to release, procure, assemble, and iterate hardware quickly.
- Drive troubleshooting and root-cause investigations when test hardware or units under test do not perform as expected and implement corrective design improvements.
- Build team processes, documentation habits, and execution rhythms that improve quality, speed, and ownership across the hardware test function.
Required qualifications:
- B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or a related STEM discipline; advanced degree is a plus.
- Proven experience as a senior or lead mechanical engineer developing fixtures, tooling, or test stands for aerospace, defense, robotics, or other complex hardware systems.sf+1
- Prior experience leading engineers and building high-performing teams, including mentoring, setting expectations, and driving accountability.
- Strong mechanical design fundamentals with the ability to take concepts through analysis, detailed design, fabrication, assembly, and checkout.
- Proficiency with industry-standard CAD tools such as NX, SolidWorks, or CATIA, and experience releasing drawings for manufacture.
- Familiarity with standard ME practices, including tolerance stack-up, materials selection, fastener design, load path evaluation, and safe machine/fixture design.
- Hands-on experience in lab, prototype, or production environments, with the judgment to balance analytical rigor and practical execution.
- Excellent communication skills and the ability to work across disciplines to translate ambiguous test needs into robust mechanical solutions.
- Demonstrated ownership, strong work ethic, and a track record of improving processes, raising the bar, and delivering results under schedule pressure.
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience with propulsion or engine-related test equipment, high-load structural fixtures, or mechanically complex aerospace ground test systems.
- Familiarity with environmental or qualification testing and the facility interfaces those systems require, such as mounting, cooling, plumbing, or instrumentation accommodations.
- Experience using analysis tools such as ANSYS, Abaqus, or Nastran to support test hardware design decisions.
- Comfort working directly with technicians, machine shops, and test operators to refine designs and improve ease of use in the lab.
- Ability to operate effectively in a fast-moving development program where priorities evolve and rapid iteration is expected.
- Active Top Secret clearance or eligible to achieve, as well as SCI eligible.
Skills Required
- B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or related engineering discipline
- 5+ years of experience designing mechanical systems, test equipment, aerospace hardware, or electromechanical systems
- Proficiency with CAD software such as NX, SolidWorks, CATIA, or Creo
- Experience creating engineering drawings and releasing designs for fabrication and assembly
- Strong understanding of mechanical design fundamentals, materials, manufacturing processes, GD&T, and tolerance analysis
- Experience designing fixtures, tooling, test stands, or ground support equipment
- Hands-on experience building, integrating, and troubleshooting mechanical or electromechanical systems
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with ability to work independently on moderately complex projects
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced development environment with evolving priorities
- Experience supporting aerospace, defense, robotics, automotive, or autonomous systems programs
- Experience with finite element analysis (FEA) tools such as ANSYS, Abaqus, or Nastran
- Familiarity with environmental, vibration, thermal, and durability testing methods
- Experience working with instrumentation, sensors, and data acquisition systems
- Familiarity with aerospace qualification standards such as MIL-STD-810 or DO-160
- Experience designing field-deployable or ruggedized test equipment
What the Team is Saying
Shield AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage includes medical, dental, vision, and mental-health support, with company materials describing excellent coverage. Feedback suggests these offerings are comprehensive and consistently highlighted across official and third-party benefit lists.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity is granted to all full-time hires, with RSU structures and tools like Carta Tax intended to improve understanding and tax timing. Feedback suggests this broad-based ownership approach is a notable component of total rewards.
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Parental & Family Support — Benefits include paid parental leave, fertility support, childcare benefits, family medical leave, and onsite resources such as a Mother's Room. Feedback suggests the family-oriented offerings are more expansive than basic coverage.
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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Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
