What you'll do:
- Own the end-to-end mechanical test strategy for flight hardware, including requirements definition, architecture, design, build, and lifecycle sustainment of test systems.
- Lead the design and development of fixed and field-deployable test stands, fixtures, and ground support equipment interfacing with aircraft structures, propulsion systems, motors, avionics, and subsystems.
- Drive structural, thermal, and fatigue analysis to validate designs for harsh military environments, transportability, and repeated use.
- Serve as the technical decision-maker for mechanical test systems, balancing performance, cost, schedule, manufacturability, and maintainability.
- Review and approve detailed CAD models, drawings, and specifications; set standards for design quality, documentation, and configuration control.
- Lead and participate in cross-functional design reviews (PDR/CDR/TRR), advocating for testability, simplicity, and rapid learning.
- Partner with suppliers and manufacturing teams to ensure scalable, cost-effective production and long-term sustainment of test hardware.
- Mentor and guide junior and mid-level engineers, setting technical direction and raising the overall quality bar of the team.
- Support flight test and field operations, including rapid troubleshooting, test system modification, and on-site integration when required.
Required qualifications:
- B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or related STEM field.
- 7+ years of experience designing mechanical systems for aerospace, ground support equipment, test infrastructure, or heavy industrial systems.
- Deep mastery of mechanical fundamentals, including structural mechanics, materials, dynamics, and thermal behavior.
- Expert-level proficiency in CAD tools (NX, CATIA, SolidWorks, or equivalent), including complex assemblies and released drawings.
- Strong experience with structural analysis, material selection, and manufacturing processes for ruggedized, high-reliability systems.
- Hands-on experience designing test stands, fixtures, or support equipment for aerospace or similarly demanding applications.
- Proficiency with FEA, thermal analysis, and fatigue/lifecycle testing.
- Proven ability to operate in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment, owning problems from concept through execution.
- Demonstrated history of high ownership, strong judgment, and collaborative leadership.
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience supporting UAS, aircraft, propulsion, or large aerospace-grade structures.
- Experience designing field-deployable or expeditionary test systems.
- Ability to rapidly prototype and manufacture designs in a machine shop or lab environment.
- Experience owning large-scale test or facilities projects from concept through deployment.
- Knowledge of hydraulics, NDE/NDT methods, and aerospace structural validation practices.
- Prior experience acting as a technical lead or subject-matter expert for test or ground systems.
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
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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.
