Staff Engineer, Fuel Systems - Ranger (R6299)

The role

You will be the Responsible Engineer for the aircraft fuel system on Project Ranger. You will own it from requirements and design through testing, flight support and operational deployment. The role works closely with propulsion, vehicle, supplier and flight teams.

What you will do

• Serve as Responsible Engineer for the aircraft fuel system, owning requirements, architecture, interfaces, hardware and technical decisions.
• Design, size and integrate fuel tanks, pumps, valves, plumbing, venting and pressurization, filtration, level sensing and related hardware.
• Analyze fuel system performance across the aircraft operating envelope, including transient engine demand, elevated-G maneuvering, slosh, cavitation, vapor ingestion and thermal effects.
• Lead technical design reviews, supplier engagements and hardware procurement.
• Plan and execute component, subsystem and vehicle-level testing, including instrumentation and data acquisition.
• Analyze ground and flight data to validate performance, quantify margin and identify anomalies.
• Lead failure investigations and root cause efforts and develop corrective actions.
• Work hands-on with design engineers, technicians and other teams to build, integrate, troubleshoot and iterate flight hardware.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
• 7+ years of experience in aerospace fuel systems, fluid systems, propulsion or related aircraft system development.
• Strong understanding of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and compressible and incompressible flow.
• Strong understanding of aerospace fuel system design, including pressure losses, pump performance, venting, vapor pressure, cavitation and transient flow.
• Hands-on experience with fluid system hardware integration, instrumentation, testing, flight support and failure investigations.
• Strong proficiency in Python or similar tools for engineering analysis, data reduction and model correlation.
• Demonstrated ability to independently drive ambiguous technical problems to measurable results in a fast-paced environment.
• U.S. citizenship and an active security clearance.

Nice to have

• Experience developing fuel systems for high-performance, tactical aircraft, UAVs or similar platforms.
• Experience designing fuel systems for elevated-G maneuvering or challenging fuel delivery conditions.
• Experience with fuel tanks, pumps, valves, regulators, level sensing, venting, pressurization and fuel control hardware.
• Familiarity with GFSSP, REFPROP, CFD, ANSYS, FEA or similar thermal-fluid analysis tools.
• Experience working with aerospace suppliers through selection, procurement, qualification and integration.
• Background in rocket propulsion or propellant systems.
• M.S. or Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline.

Benefits

• Bonus
• Equity
• Benefits package for full-time regular employees
• Temporary benefits package for temporary employees, applicable after 60 days of employment

Before you apply

• U.S. citizenship and an active security clearance are required.
• All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check.
• Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits.

About the company

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company that builds intelligent systems to protect service members and civilians. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation technologies.