Mechanical Design Engineer, Aerostructures

Introduction to Shield AI Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company whose mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. In pursuit of this mission, Shield AI is building the world’s best AI pilot. Its AI pilot, Hivemind, has flown a fighter jet (F-16), a vertical takeoff and landing drone (V-BAT), and a quadcopter (Nova). The company has offices in San Diego, Dallas, Washington DC and abroad. Shield AI’s products and people are currently in the field actively supporting operations with the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. allies.

Job Description: Are you a passionate and innovative Mechanical Engineer looking to help develop state of the art AI and robotics products? Are you eager to make a positive difference in the world? Do you want to work alongside mission driven and values focused teammates? Shield AI is just the place for you!    As a Mechanical Engineer, you will be responsible for contributing to the mechanical design and development of Shield AI's autonomous UAV products. You will help architect new products, perform the detailed design of complex electro-mechanical assemblies, and will use best in class design and analysis tools. You will collaborate closely with internal and/or external partners to prototype, test and release products to production. You will also help ensure product features achieve performance, schedule and reliability goals. 

What you'll do

• Own and contribute to the design and development of new products and subsystems.
• Perform analysis on designs including hand calculations, CAD, and FEA.
• Rapidly design, prototype and test to validate the robustness and proper performance of designs.
• Lead design reviews.
• Participate in engineering and pre-production product builds.
• Interface with cross-functional teams to ensure the successful development and launch of new products.
• Exemplify technical excellence and be accountable for your work.
• Proactively identify opportunities for improvement within hardware development projects, demonstrating initiative to propose and implement innovative solutions that enhance efficiency, quality, and overall project success and V-Bat reliability.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required qualifications:

• B.S. degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering (or will be graduating in 2024)
• Hands-on experience in design and development of mechanical systems (internship/project team is applicable)
• CAD modeling experience
• Knowledge of FEA principles
• Exceptional written and verbal communication
• You have a demonstrated record of working hard, being a trustworthy teammate, holding yourself and others to high standards, and being kind to others.
• Demonstrated track record of assuming ownership over development processes and features and delivering outstanding outcomes.
• Proven track record of successfully shipping products, showcasing the ability to navigate through development cycles, overcome obstacles, and deliver high-quality solutions to meet project deadlines and exceed client expectations in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred qualifications:

• M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent.
• Leadership experience on a project team
• Problem solving skills including root cause investigation, failure analysis, and DOE
• Experience using Siemens NX
• Experience working on cutting-edge autonomous robotic systems
• Proven background in thriving within fast-paced environments, particularly within startup or R&D settings.
• Demonstrated adaptability, agility, and the ability to innovate under pressure to meet dynamic project demands and drive successful outcomes.