The Flight Sciences team at Shield AI integrates stability & control, aerodynamics, performance, and aero-propulsion to redefine the limits of unmanned aviation. As a member of this team, you will bridge the gap between theoretical design and flight testing. We aren't just analyzing data; we are building the future of autonomous flight. If you thrive in high-tempo, collaborative environments where your work moves quickly from concept to reality, we want you on our team.
What you'll do:
- Flying Qualities Analysis: Work closely with the Guidance and Control (GNC) team to optimize control usage and verify the X-BAT flying qualities are suitable for the intended mission.
- Lead Flying Qualities Flight Test: Coordinate with other flight sciences disciplines, and Test & Evaluation team, to develop an integrated test approach that results in certification of the X-BAT in a safe and efficient manner.
- Integrate Air Data Systems: Partner with cross-disciplinary teams to define sensor locations, system architecture and calibration algorithms that meet accuracy and redundancy requirements
- Spearhead Aero Model Validation: Champion the development of tools and flight test aids that will be used to update/validate aerodynamic models using flight test results.
- Support Wind Tunnel Testing and Aero Model Development: Work with a team of flight sciences engineers to plan and execute a variety of wind tunnel tests and integrate the results into a 6DOF Aerodynamic database.
Required qualifications:
- Education: B.S. in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering (or equivalent technical field).
- Core Expertise: 15+ years of experience in Stability & Control, with specific expertise in flying qualities analysis, flight test planning/execution and requirements compliance.
- Flight Test Expertise: Extensive experience with all phases of flight test including planning, cross discipline integration, control room procedures, execution and final certification.
- Software Proficiency: Ability to develop customized tools that can be used for flying qualities analysis, plotting and simulation.
- Character: A demonstrated record of working hard, being a trustworthy teammate, holding yourself and others to a high standard, and being kind to others.
- Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance desired.
Preferred qualifications:
- Advanced Control Systems: Expert level understanding of the dependencies between the control laws and the fundamental stability and control characteristics of the aircraft.
- Full Life Cycle Experience: First-hand knowledge of the steps required to take a high performance military aircraft from preliminary design through flight test.
- Collaborative Problem Solving: A proven ability to work closely with others.
Skills Required
- B.S. in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering (or equivalent technical field)
- 15+ years experience in Stability & Control, including flying qualities analysis, flight test planning/execution, and requirements compliance
- Extensive experience with all phases of flight test including planning, cross-discipline integration, control room procedures, execution and certification
- Ability to develop customized tools for flying qualities analysis, plotting, and simulation
- Demonstrated record of working hard, being a trustworthy teammate, holding self and others to high standards, and being kind
- Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance
- Expert-level understanding of advanced control systems and dependencies between control laws and stability characteristics
- First-hand full life cycle experience taking high-performance military aircraft from preliminary design through flight test
- Proven collaborative problem solving and ability to work closely with others
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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Shield AI Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
