Shield AI

Builds autonomous aircraft for defense

Manager of Actuated Systems - Air Vehicle Mechanical Systems

Engineering LeadershipConfirmed live in the last 24 hours

Full-timeIn-person

About the Job

Requirements

A Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent is required.
At least 10 years of experience with aerospace mechanisms and actuated system design, build, integration, test, and flight is required.
At least 2 years of experience leading teams or performing in a team leadership role is required.
Demonstrated ability to lead teams with high autonomy by setting direction, ensuring quality, and scaling output through people is required.
Strong engineering fundamentals in kinematics, statics and dynamics, fatigue and wear, tolerancing and geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, materials and finishes, lubrication and bearings, and failure modes are required.
Experience shipping hardware through prototype build, test, iteration, and release, including supplier and manufacturing engagement, is required.

Responsibilities

Lead and develop a team of mechanical engineers, from new graduates to Principal-level engineers, focused on aircraft mechanisms and actuation systems across architecture, detailed design, analysis support, release, and sustaining.
Support end-to-end mechanism design as a technical resource, including doors and latching, uplocks and downlocks, landing gear mechanisms, flight-control actuation integration, nozzle and propulsion actuation mechanisms, actuation, and hydraulics.
Set the quality bar for mechanisms engineering in sizing, tolerances, margins, drawings and model-based definition, materials and process selection, and verification evidence.
Ensure engineers have clear goals, interfaces, resources, and decision rights to enable ownership.
Drive cross-functional collaboration across systems, structures and loads, aerodynamics, propulsion, guidance, navigation and control, avionics, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, test, and flight test.
Coach and develop engineers through technical mentorship, career development, feedback, hiring, onboarding, and performance management.
Manage team workload across multiple builds and test campaigns, and communicate risk, staffing needs, and schedule impacts transparently.

Desired Qualifications

Experience with environmental and operational robustness, including vibration and shock, thermal extremes, contamination, corrosion, and sand or dust.
Experience supporting ground-test and flight-test campaigns and mechanism failure investigations.
Familiarity with reliability and safety methods, including design failure mode and effects analysis, fault tree analysis, fault containment, and safe-state thinking, in collaboration with systems safety.
Experience building supplier relationships for machined parts, actuation systems, and mechanism assemblies, and understanding special processes and inspection and acceptance strategies.

Salary Range: 152802 to 229202 (Currency: USD) (Pay period: per-year-salary)

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:

Shield AI is seeking a Manager of Actuated Systems to lead an aircraft mechanical systems team for our groundbreaking jet-engine VTOL military UAV platform, X-BAT. You will manage a team of engineers designing and integrating flight- and mission-critical mechanisms such as doors, uplocks/downlocks, landing gear, folding/packaging mechanisms, flight-control actuation integration, and propulsion/nozzle actuation mechanisms. You will support your team in making key architectural decisions, by being a key technical resource, and by being a strong leader of great engineers.

Projects that you might work on:
X-BAT Doors, FCAS, Landing Gear, Up/Down Locks

What you'll do:

Lead and develop a team of high talent mechanical engineers, from new grad to Principal, focused on aircraft mechanisms and actuation systems (architecture, detailed design, analysis support, release, and sustaining).
Support your team as a technical resource for end-to-end design of mechanisms including (as applicable):
Doors & latching
Uplocks / Downlocks
Landing gear mechanisms
Actuation integration for flight controls
Nozzle / propulsion actuation mechanisms
Actuation, Hydraulics
Set the quality bar for mechanisms engineering: what “good” looks like in sizing, tolerances, margins, drawings/MBD, materials/process selection, and verification evidence.
Enable extreme ownership by ensuring engineers have clear goals, interfaces, resources, and decision rights
Drive effective cross-functional collaboration (systems, structures/loads, aero, propulsion, GNC, avionics, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, test, flight test) by fostering excelling communication across interfaces.
Coach and develop engineers through technical mentorship, career development, feedback, hiring, onboarding, and performance management.
Manage team workload across multiple builds and test campaigns; communicate risk, staffing needs, and schedule impacts with transparency.

Required qualifications:

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (or equivalent).
10+ years experience with aerospace mechanisms and actuated system design, build, integration, test and flight.
2+ years leading teams or performing in a team leadership role.
Demonstrated ability to lead teams with high autonomy—setting direction, ensuring quality, and scaling output through people.
Strong engineering fundamentals: kinematics, statics/dynamics, fatigue/wear, tolerancing/GD&T, materials and finishes, lubrication/bearings, failure modes.
Experience shipping hardware through prototype build, test, iteration, and release, including supplier and manufacturing engagement.

Preferred qualifications:

Experience with environmental and operational robustness (vibration/shock, thermal extremes, contamination, corrosion, sand/dust, etc.).
Experience supporting ground test and flight test campaigns and mechanism failure investigations.
Familiarity with reliability and safety methods (DFMEA/FTA, fault containment, safe-state thinking) in collaboration with systems safety.
Experience building supplier relationships for machined parts, actuation systems, mechanisms assemblies, understanding of special processes and inspection/acceptance strategies.

#LI-MS2

#LD

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.

About the Company

Shield AI

Builds autonomous aircraft for defense

Shield AI builds autonomous aircraft and flight software for military and allied defense customers, with a focus on operations where conventional remote control breaks down. Its Hivemind AI pilot handles decisions during a mission, while the V-BAT aircraft gathers intelligence and locates targets. Aircraft makers use its software tools to develop and test their own autonomy, and its Aechelon business supplies visual and sensor simulation for pilot training. The company earns money from aircraft sales, autonomy software and contracted engineering and operational services. Shield AI was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.

Company size: 1,001-5,000
Company stage: Series H
Total funding: $4.8B
Headquarters: San Diego, CA
Founded: 2015

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