Staff Engineer, Actuated Systems - Ranger (R6347)

The role

You will take hands-on technical ownership of the mechanical design and integration of actuation systems for flight control surfaces, bay doors, and other airframe mechanisms on a Group 5 UAV fighter aircraft. You will move concepts through detailed hardware design, test, and vehicle integration.

What you will do

• Develop and mature system layouts and installation concepts for actuators, mechanisms, linkages, brackets and mounting hardware within vehicle packaging constraints.
• Own detailed CAD design of actuated systems hardware from concept through drawing release.
• Perform actuator sizing, kinematic layout and installation analysis for flight control surfaces, bay doors and other airframe mechanisms.
• Perform hand calculations and basic FEA to substantiate brackets, mounts, linkages and installation hardware.
• Define and resolve installation interfaces with structures, EWIS, EPS, thermal management and adjacent systems.
• Develop and maintain CAD models, drawings, interface definitions and design data packages for SRR, PDR and CDR.
• Support component selection, technical specifications, supplier technical execution, prototype assembly and mechanical test-fixture development.
• Define and execute qualification test plans per MIL-STD-810 and support MIL-HDBK-516 Airworthiness Certification.

Required qualifications

• 5 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.
• B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Deep mastery of mechanical design, kinematics, load paths, materials selection, GD&T and tolerance stack-up methodologies.
• Demonstrated capability performing closed-form hand calculations and basic FEA for mechanisms, brackets, mounts and structural installation components.
• Extensive experience in 3D CAD modeling, mechanical layouts and drawing release, with Siemens NX, CATIA, Creo or equivalent PLM workflows.
• Demonstrated ability to develop actuator and mechanism installations that satisfy packaging, load, clearance, maintainability and vehicle-interface requirements.
• Proven track record sourcing COTS/custom aerospace components, driving suppliers to schedule and assembling benchtop or vehicle-level test setups.
• Demonstrated ability to self-direct, prioritize technical tasks without oversight and deliver functional hardware under tight timelines.
• Clearance eligible.

Nice to have

• 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.

Benefits

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

Before you apply

• Clearance eligible; all offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check.
• Offers are contingent on a possible reference check.
• Part-time employees and military fellows 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.