Staff Engineer - Fluid and Mechanical Systems

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube. 

Job Description:

As a Staff (L4) Fluid and Mechanical Systems Engineer, you will be a hands-on multi-disciplinary owner of fluid-system layouts, thermal transport hardware, and adjacent mechanical design for a Group 5 UAV fighter aircraft. You will apply first-principles engineering to develop ram-air circuits, liquid cooling systems, ECS/TMS fluid architecture, and supporting mechanical installations that are buildable, maintainable, and ready for vehicle integration. 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:

• Fluid System Layouts: Develop and mature aircraft fluid system layouts for ram-air circuits, liquid cooling loops, ECS/TMS fluid circuits, and hydraulic distribution as applicable, including routing, packaging, and installation concepts.

• Fluid and Thermal Sizing: Perform pressure-drop, flow-balance, pump and reservoir sizing, and thermal-transport capacity calculations to establish system performance and hardware requirements.

• Modeling and Analysis: Build and maintain fluid and thermal system models using Flowmaster, AMESim, GFSSP, or equivalent tools to support design decisions, trade assessments, and requirements verification.

• Mechanical Design Support: Design supporting mechanical hardware, brackets, mounts, line supports, and installation provisions; perform tolerance analysis, clearance assessments, hand calculations, and basic FEA as needed.

• Component and Hardware Selection: Select and specify pumps, valves, heat exchangers, accumulators, filters, lines, fittings, actuators, and associated hardware for fluid and actuated system installations.

• Vehicle Integration: Resolve interfaces with structures, EWIS, thermal management, electrical power, and adjacent mechanical systems, including routing, maintainability, and installation-clearance requirements.

• System Robustness: Support failure mode analysis, contamination control, leak prevention, and system-level redundancy definition for assigned fluid and actuated systems.

• Hardware and Supplier Execution: Support component sourcing, technical specifications, supplier technical execution, prototype assembly, and test-fixture development.

• Qualification and Hardware Delivery: Define and execute qualification test plans per MIL-STD-810, using results to mature the design into production-ready hardware and support MIL-HDBK-516 Airworthiness Certification.

Required qualifications:

• Clearance required: US Citizens Only & Must have an Active Secret or higher clearance.

• Experience: 7 to 12 years of fluid systems design, thermal systems analysis, or mechanical systems installation experience in aerospace or a comparable regulated industry.

• Education: B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

• Core Fundamentals: Deep mastery of thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, heat transfer, mechanical design fundamentals, and tolerance stack-up methodologies.

• Modeling and Analysis: Demonstrated capability with fluid system sizing and analysis, including pressure drop, flow networks, heat transfer, and 1D fluid or thermal system modeling.

• System Layout and Integration: Demonstrated ability to create fluid-system layouts and mechanical installations that satisfy routing, packaging, maintainability, structural-interface, and vehicle-integration requirements.

• CAD and PLM: Experience in 3D CAD modeling, routing, layouts, and drawing release with Siemens NX, CATIA, Creo, SolidWorks, or equivalent PLM workflows.

• Mechanical Design: Hands-on capability designing brackets, mounts, supports, and installation hardware using hand calculations, tolerance analysis, and basic structural analysis.

• Hardware and Supplier Execution: Proven track record sourcing COTS/custom aerospace components, driving suppliers to schedule, and assembling benchtop or vehicle-level test setups.

• Autonomy: Demonstrated ability to self-direct, prioritize technical tasks without oversight, and deliver functional hardware under tight timelines.

Preferred qualifications:

• Aircraft ram-air, liquid cooling, hydraulic, fuel, or thermal transport loop design experience.

• ECS or thermal management system design and integration experience.

• Experience with electro-mechanical or electro-hydrostatic actuation systems and associated mechanical installations.

• Familiarity with MIL-STD-810, MIL-HDBK-516, and airworthiness verification planning for fluid and mechanical systems.

• Hands-on prototype-build, fabrication, or mechanical assembly experience in a rapid R&D environment.

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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.

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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.