Engineering Manager, Air Vehicle Mechanical Systems (R5391)

San Diego, Californiafull time

On Site

senior

H1B: no

Shield Engineering Manager leads a mechanical systems team designing flight- and mission-critical mechanisms for Shield AI’s jet-engine VTOL military UAV platform. The role involves technical leadership and cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

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
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.

Qualification

Strong engineering fundamentalsTemporary employee offer package

Required

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

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.
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)