What You'll Do:
- Act as a technical leader across programs, owning the design and optimization of high-impact manufacturing processes.
- Drive the scale-up of our flagship product line, balancing throughput, quality, and cost.
- Lead the manufacturing engineering effort for launching a new production line for a larger and more capable jet.
- Scope and deploy critical production infrastructure, including manufacturing equipment, tooling, and hardware/software systems.
- Engage with vendors to source and integrate capital equipment, production tools, and automation systems.
- Mentor engineers and production personnel to build organizational capability and technical depth.
- Champion cross-functional initiatives that standardize and improve manufacturing performance at scale.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related field, or relevant experience
- 7+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering, with a focus in rapid growth environments
- Experience in owning the scale of production processes in a startup or rapid-growth environment.
- Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, including machining, composites, avionics and/or assembly.
- Experience with process improvement methodologies, such as Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma.
- Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment and adapt to changing priorities.
Preferred Qualifications
- Knowledge of quality standards, such as AS9100 or ISO 9001.
- Proficiency in CAD software
- Familiarity with advanced manufacturing technologies, such as additive manufacturing or automation systems.
- Knowledge of ERP/MRP systems and data-driven decision-making in a manufacturing context.
- Hands-on experience with manufacturing equipment and tooling design.
- Strong project management skills, including experience managing multiple priorities and deadlines.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering, or related field (or relevant experience)
- 7+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering, especially in rapid growth environments
- Experience owning the scale of production processes in a startup or rapid-growth environment
- Strong understanding of manufacturing processes including machining, composites, avionics and/or assembly
- Experience with process improvement methodologies (Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma)
- Ability to work in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment and adapt to changing priorities
- Knowledge of quality standards such as AS9100 or ISO 9001
- Proficiency in CAD software
- Familiarity with advanced manufacturing technologies (additive manufacturing, automation systems)
- Knowledge of ERP/MRP systems and data-driven decision-making in manufacturing
- Hands-on experience with manufacturing equipment and tooling design
- Strong project management skills, including managing multiple priorities and deadlines
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 Teams
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Shield AI Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
