Shield AI is seeking highly skilled and disciplined Aircraft Mechanic IV to support the development, testing, and maturation of X-BAT, an autonomous VTOL jet aircraft. This hands-on position is responsible for performing complex aircraft maintenance, troubleshooting, inspections, modifications, and ground-test support in a developmental aerospace environment.
The Aircraft Mechanic IV will work closely with engineering teams, and test personnel to maintain aircraft readiness, configuration accuracy, and safe execution of test activities. The successful candidate will demonstrate strong technical judgment, disciplined documentation practices, and the ability to work independently within approved procedures while mentoring less-experienced technicians.
What you'll do:
- Perform advanced maintenance, inspections, servicing, repairs, and component replacement on X-BAT propulsion, flight control, mechanical, electrical, and avionics systems.
- Support aircraft assembly, integration, modification, and instrumentation installation in accordance with approved engineering instructions and technical documentation.
- Execute pre-test and post-test inspections, identify discrepancies, and document aircraft condition and maintenance status.
- Support engine start, ground runs, hover preparation, shutdown, and other ground-test activities under the direction of the Crew Chief and designated test personnel.
- Diagnose complex mechanical, electrical, and avionics discrepancies using technical drawings, wiring diagrams, approved procedures, and diagnostic equipment.
- Coordinate with engineering to resolve discrepancies, clarify technical requirements, and implement approved corrective actions.
- Maintain accurate maintenance records, component traceability, configuration status, and discrepancy documentation.
- Verify that assigned maintenance and modification tasks are complete and properly documented before presenting the aircraft for readiness review.
- Follow test cards, safety plans, hazard controls, PPE requirements, and test-area access restrictions; promptly report unsafe conditions.
- Maintain tool accountability, foreign object debris prevention, and serviceability of assigned ground support equipment.
- Identify requirements for tools, consumables, replacement parts, and support equipment needed to complete assigned work.
- Provide technical guidance and mentorship to less-experienced mechanics and technicians, including task coordination when assigned.
- Support root-cause investigations, anomaly resolution, and improvements to maintenance procedures and operational processes.
- Support aircraft recovery activities, field-site setup and teardown, and maintenance during extended test deployments.
- Represent the X-BAT program with professionalism and alignment to Shield AI’s mission and values.
Required qualifications:
- 10+ years of aviation maintenance experience with military or commercial aircraft.
- Demonstrated hands-on experience maintaining and troubleshooting turbine propulsion, flight controls, aircraft mechanical systems, electrical systems, or avionics.
- Ability to independently complete complex maintenance tasks within approved procedures and recognize when engineering direction or additional authorization is required.
- Proficiency interpreting technical manuals, engineering drawings, wiring diagrams, maintenance instructions, and configuration documentation.
- Proven ability to diagnose and resolve aircraft discrepancies under time and operational pressure without compromising safety or maintenance quality.
- Experience maintaining accurate aircraft maintenance records, tool accountability, and configuration control.
- Strong understanding of aviation maintenance safety, ground-test hazards, and risk management practices.
- Experience providing technical guidance or mentorship to other mechanics and technicians.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to work effectively with maintenance, engineering, and test teams.
- Ability to travel frequently and support extended field-test deployments as required.
- Ability to obtain and maintain relevant clearances or certifications if needed.
Preferred qualifications:
- Prior experience as a senior aircraft mechanic, lead maintainer, or military aircraft maintenance craftsman.
- Experience supporting developmental aircraft, prototype assembly, flight-test programs, or unmanned aircraft systems.
- Experience with VTOL aircraft, tail-sitter platforms, turbine propulsion, or autonomous systems.
- FAA Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) certification or military equivalent.
- Experience with aircraft modification, system integration, rigging, and functional checks.
- Familiarity with flight-test operations, test readiness reviews, and data collection processes.
- Experience with structured safety processes such as Operational Risk Management (ORM), Task Hazard Analysis (THA), or Safety Management Systems (SMS).
- Experience supporting aircraft recovery and operating ground support equipment.
Skills Required
- 10+ years of aviation maintenance experience with military or commercial aircraft
- Hands-on experience maintaining and troubleshooting turbine propulsion, flight controls, mechanical systems, electrical systems, or avionics
- Ability to independently complete complex maintenance tasks within approved procedures and identify when engineering direction or authorization is needed
- Ability to interpret technical manuals, engineering drawings, wiring diagrams, maintenance instructions, and configuration documentation
- Experience diagnosing and resolving aircraft discrepancies under operational pressure while maintaining safety and quality
- Experience maintaining accurate aircraft records, tool accountability, and configuration control
- Strong understanding of aviation maintenance safety, ground-test hazards, and risk management
- Experience providing technical guidance or mentorship to mechanics and technicians
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills and ability to work with maintenance, engineering, and test teams
- Ability to travel frequently and support extended field-test deployments
- Ability to obtain and maintain relevant clearances or certifications if needed
- Prior experience as a senior aircraft mechanic, lead maintainer, or military aircraft maintenance craftsman
- Experience supporting developmental aircraft, prototype assembly, flight-test programs, or unmanned aircraft systems
- Experience with VTOL aircraft, tail-sitter platforms, turbine propulsion, or autonomous systems
- FAA Airframe & Powerplant certification or military equivalent
- Experience with aircraft modification, system integration, rigging, and functional checks
- Familiarity with flight-test operations, test readiness reviews, and data collection processes
- Experience with Operational Risk Management, Task Hazard Analysis, or Safety Management Systems
- Experience supporting aircraft recovery and operating ground support equipment
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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