Shield AI is seeking an Aircraft Configuration Design Engineer to support the development of next-generation autonomous unmanned air vehicles (UAVs'). In this role, you will assist in the design, optimization, and integration of aircraft configurations, ensuring that vehicle aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, and mission systems are harmonized for performance, manufacturability, and operational effectiveness.
This position is ideal for a mechanical or aerospace engineer with a passion for cutting edge aircraft design, multi-disciplinary systems integration, and iterative prototyping in a fast-paced defense technology environment.
What you'll do:
- Assist in the conceptual and preliminary design of Shield AI’s newest UAV platforms, ensuring optimal aerodynamic and structural configurations.
- Support aircraft sizing, weight estimation, and trade studies to evaluate different airframe configurations.
- Work with multi-disciplinary engineering teams (mechanical, electrical, propulsion, avionics) to ensure seamless system integration.
- Develop and refine 3D CAD models of aircraft structures, subsystems, and flight critical components.
- Perform basic aerodynamic and structural analysis using computational tools to assess feasibility and performance impacts.
- Participate in design reviews, system trade studies, and prototype development efforts.
- Support rapid prototyping and wind tunnel testing of scaled models to validate design concepts.
- Assist in requirements development, documentation, and verification planning for aircraft subsystems.
- Ensure designs comply with manufacturing feasibility, mission requirements, and aerospace industry standards.
- Work closely with manufacturing and production teams to transition designs from concept to prototype and full-scale production.
Required qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, or Systems Engineering (or related field).
- Typically requires a minimum of 7 years of related experience in aircraft design, configuration layout, or airframe integration.
- Proficiency in CAD modeling (NX, SolidWorks, or similar) for airframe and structural design.
- Basic understanding of aircraft aerodynamics, structures, and propulsion system integration.
- Ability to perform basic FEA, CFD, or weight & balance assessments.
- Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and ability to work in cross functional teams.
- Excellent communication and technical documentation skills.
- Active Secret clearance
Preferred qualifications:
- Master’s degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, or Systems Engineering (or related field).
- Experience with UAV design or aircraft conceptual design.
- Familiarity with aircraft performance modeling, stability & control, and flight dynamics.
- Hands-on experience with rapid prototyping, wind tunnel testing, or flight hardware development.
- Knowledge of manufacturing techniques, composite materials, and aerospace structural design principles.
- Experience working in a fast-paced, high-tech startup or defense environment.
- Active TS clearance or ability to gain a TS clearance.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Systems Engineering, or a related field
- Minimum of 7 years of related experience in aircraft design, configuration layout, or airframe integration
- Proficiency in CAD modeling using NX, SolidWorks, or similar tools
- Basic understanding of aircraft aerodynamics, structures, and propulsion system integration
- Ability to perform basic FEA, CFD, or weight and balance assessments
- Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and cross-functional teamwork
- Excellent communication and technical documentation skills
- Active Secret clearance
- Master's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Systems Engineering, or a related field
- Experience with UAV design or aircraft conceptual design
- Familiarity with aircraft performance modeling, stability and control, and flight dynamics
- Hands-on experience with rapid prototyping, wind tunnel testing, or flight hardware development
- Knowledge of manufacturing techniques, composite materials, and aerospace structural design principles
- Experience in a fast-paced high-tech startup or defense environment
- Active Top Secret clearance or ability to obtain one
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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Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
