Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific, Shield AI's technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
Job Description: Shield AI is pioneering the development of AI-powered autonomous aircraft for national defense, pushing the boundaries of aerospace innovation. Our next-generation UAS is a high-endurance unmanned system designed to operate in complex, contested environments where reliability, robustness, and speed to field matter.
We are seeking a Senior Staff Mechanical Test Engineer to lead and own the strategy, architecture, and execution of mechanical test systems supporting flight hardware for our next-generation UAS. This role is critical to ensuring hardware is qualified, validated, and sustained through aggressive development timelines and real-world operational conditions.
In this role, you will act as a technical authority for mechanical test and ground support systems, driving requirements, trade studies, and design decisions while mentoring engineers and partnering closely with flight, manufacturing, and operations teams.
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.
- 7-10+ 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.
$166,632 - $249,948 a year
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Full-time regular employee offer package:
Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
Temporary employee offer package:
Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)
Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.
Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
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