Job Description: Be the expert on integrating weapons an payloads on our aircraft. Using best practices and MIL-STD-1289 to drive the designs for integrating weapons and stores to a weapons bay and designs for external Pylons
What you'll do:
- Combine and collaborate with aircraft design teams to perform mechanical weapons integration activities
- Design pylons and fittings
- Work across analysis teams to iterate designs
- Support design reviews and report on accomplishments of the design process
- Support integration and test efforts including ground and flight tests
- Be the go to person on weapons and payloads physical integration to X Bat
Required qualifications:
- Strong CAD skills (NX preferred)
- B.S. in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering
- 10+ years in mechanical or mechanism design
- Familiarity with Bomb rack Units/Assemblies (BRA/BRU) and Launcher Assembly Units (LAU)
- Knowledge of Pneumatic power systems for military aircraft uses
- Demonstrated Experience in designing suspension and release mounting fixtures and fittings
- Demonstrated experience in weapon pylon
- Ability to design
- Ability to work independently in fast-paced, cross-functional teams and across functional organizations
- A demonstrated record of working hard, being trustworthy, holding yourself to high standards, and being kind to others
- Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance desired
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience with UAVs, aircraft, or robotic systems
- Familiarity with electro-mechanical actuators
- Hands-on machine shop or mechanic experience (professional or hobby)
- Ability to thrive in startup, R&D, or defense innovation environments
Skills Required
- Strong CAD skills, preferably NX
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering
- 10+ years of mechanical or mechanism design experience
- Familiarity with Bomb Rack Units/Assemblies (BRA/BRU) and Launcher Assembly Units (LAU)
- Knowledge of pneumatic power systems used in military aircraft
- Experience designing suspension and release mounting fixtures and fittings
- Experience designing weapon pylons
- Ability to work independently in fast-paced, cross-functional teams
- Ability to obtain an S//SAR-level security clearance
- Experience with UAVs, aircraft, or robotic systems
- Familiarity with electromechanical actuators
- Hands-on machine shop or mechanic experience
- Experience in startup, R&D, or defense innovation environments
What the Team is Saying
Shield AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Company materials highlight comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with mental-health support and an EAP. Third-party benefits summaries also portray health coverage as a strong component of the package.
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Retirement Support — Offerings include a 401(k) with employer matching, cited on the careers page and independent benefits directories. Multiple sources indicate a match exists, though exact formulas have varied over time and warrant confirmation.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Company communications describe equity for all full-time hires and stock benefits as part of total rewards. Independent listings also note company equity/RSUs as a standard element.
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.
