As a Staff (L4) or Senior Staff (L5) Landing Gear Engineer, you will take full technical ownership of the landing gear architecture, kinematic mechanism design, structural analysis, and vehicle integration for a dedicated special access program. Serving as the sole landing gear subject matter expert on this program, you will work from first principles to execute mechanism trades, perform structural hand calculations, design hardware, manage external component suppliers, support proposals and capture, and deliver flight-ready systems in a rapid-iteration development environment. This position requires a balance of technical rigor, rapid decision-making, and hands-on engineering to efficiently transition concepts into operational capability. The ideal candidate is comfortable solving complex problems, taking ownership, working within an accelerated aircraft development environment, and is motivated by getting meaningful capability into the hands of operators quickly.
What you'll do:
- Architecture and Kinematic Trades: Lead landing gear architecture definition and trade studies (e.g., electro-mechanical vs. hydro-mechanical actuation, fixed vs. retractable kinematics, stowage packaging) to meet vehicle mass, volume, and ground handling requirements.
- Mechanism and Structural Design: Own the full CAD design lifecycle from initial concept through drawing release, including complex linkage kinematics, clearance envelopes, structural load paths, material selection, and rigorous tolerance stack-ups.
- Structural and Dynamic Sizing: Perform first-principles classical stress and fatigue hand calculations, backed by finite element analysis (linear/non-linear, modal, buckling) and dynamic landing load assessments.
- Subsystem Sizing and Selection: Size and select wheels, tires, brakes, shock absorption systems, actuators, and nose wheel steering mechanisms tailored to vehicle landing and taxi envelopes.
- Component Sourcing and Vendor Management: Author technical specifications and statements of work (SOW) for landing gear components, evaluate vendors, and drive supplier technical execution.
- Test, Drop Qualification, and Validation: Define verification test plans, design mechanical test fixtures, support drop test campaigns, and execute functional validation against performance requirements.
- Integration and Flight Test Support: Support prototype assembly, ground taxi testing, and flight test operations to identify discrepancies, resolve mechanism anomalies via root-cause investigation, and implement rapid design changes.
Required qualifications:
- Clearance: US Citizens Only; must have an active Secret or higher clearance.
- Experience: minimum 7 years (L4) to 12 years (L5) of direct experience in aerospace mechanism design, aircraft landing gear systems, or primary structural development.
- Education: B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
- Core Fundamentals: Deep mastery of classical solid mechanics, kinematics, dynamics, fatigue, materials selection (alloys, heat treatments, surface treatments, allowables), and GD&T/tolerance stack-up methodologies.
- Analysis and Modeling: Demonstrated capability performing closed-form hand calculations and FEA analysis (linear, non-linear, buckling, modal) for high-load mechanism and structural components.
- CAD and PLM: Extensive experience in 3D CAD modeling, mechanism layout, and drawing release (Siemens NX preferred, or equivalent like CATIA/Creo) with PLM workflows.
- Hardware and Supplier Execution: Proven track record sourcing aerospace hardware, collaborating with specialized mechanism/actuator suppliers, and supporting physical builds and test rigs.
- Autonomy: Demonstrated ability to self-direct, prioritize technical tasks without oversight, and deliver functional hardware under tight timelines.
Preferred qualifications:
- Direct experience with UAV, autonomous aircraft, or rotorcraft landing systems and arresting gear integration.
- Familiarity with aerospace structural, environmental, and mechanism drop-test standards (e.g., MIL-STD-810, RTCA DO-160, AS6053, MIL-A-8866/MIL-A-8867).
- Hands-on machine shop, fabrication, or mechanical assembly experience in a prototype or rapid R&D environment.
Skills Required
- B.S. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering
- 7+ years in mechanical or mechanism design
- Strong CAD skills (NX preferred)
- Experience with UAVs, aircraft, rotorcraft, or other landable air systems
- Kinematic analysis and optimization of retractable landing gear systems
- Knowledge of tire, wheel, and brake selection and brake control systems
- Familiarity with nose wheel steering systems
- Structural analysis using hand calculations and finite element methods
- FEA analysis experience: modal, non-linear and linear, buckling, fatigue
- GD&T and tolerance stack-ups for mechanical systems
- Materials selection knowledge: alloys, heat treatments, allowables, finishes
- Ability to work independently in fast-paced, cross-functional teams
- Familiarity with prototyping, testing, and iterating mechanism designs
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.
