Staff Engineer - Actuated 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) Actuated Systems Engineer, you will take hands-on technical ownership of the mechanical design, layout, and integration of actuation systems for flight control surfaces, bay doors, and other airframe mechanisms on a Group 5 UAV fighter aircraft. You will apply first-principles engineering to develop buildable actuator installations, mature mechanism layouts, and drive detailed hardware design through release, test, and 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:

• Actuated System Layouts: Develop and mature system layouts and installation concepts for actuators, mechanisms, linkages, brackets, mounting provisions, and associated hardware within vehicle packaging constraints.

• Mechanical Design Ownership: Own detailed CAD design of actuated systems hardware from concept through drawing release, including load paths, materials, interfaces, GD&T, and tolerance stack-ups.

• Actuator and Mechanism Integration: Perform actuator sizing, kinematic layout, and installation analysis for flight control surfaces, bay doors, and other airframe mechanisms.

• Installation Analysis: Perform hand calculations and basic FEA to substantiate brackets, mounts, linkages, and mechanical installation hardware.

• Vehicle Interfaces: Define and resolve installation interfaces with structures, EWIS, EPS, thermal management, and adjacent systems, including routing, clearances, and maintainability provisions.

• Design Documentation: Develop and maintain CAD models, drawings, interface definitions, and design data packages to program standards for SRR, PDR, and CDR.

• Hardware and Supplier Execution: Support component selection, technical specifications, supplier technical execution, prototype assembly, and mechanical 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 mechanical systems design experience in aerospace or a comparable regulated industry, with hands-on experience designing actuated mechanisms or aircraft installations.

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

• Core Fundamentals: Deep mastery of mechanical design, kinematics, load paths, materials selection, GD&T, and tolerance stack-up methodologies.

• Analysis and Modeling: Demonstrated capability performing closed-form hand calculations and basic FEA for mechanisms, brackets, mounts, and structural installation components.

• CAD and PLM: Extensive experience in 3D CAD modeling, mechanical layouts, and drawing release, with Siemens NX, CATIA, Creo, or equivalent PLM workflows.

• Actuated Systems Integration: Demonstrated ability to develop actuator and mechanism installations that satisfy packaging, load, clearance, maintainability, and vehicle-interface requirements.

• 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 flight control actuation, weapons bay door, landing gear, or other deployable-mechanism design experience.

• Experience with electro-mechanical or electro-hydrostatic actuation systems.

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

• Hands-on machine shop, fabrication, mechanical assembly, or prototype-build 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.