Staff Engineer, Mechanical (R4887)

The role

This role leads mechanical design and system integration for airborne and ruggedized hardware, from concept through production and field deployment. The engineer owns 3D CAD models, production drawings, GD&T and material selection, and works across electrical, RF, manufacturing and quality teams.

What you will do

• Lead mechanical design and integration for airborne or ruggedized systems from concept through production and field deployment.
• Develop and review 3D CAD models, assemblies, interfaces, 2D production drawings, BOMs and release packages.
• Establish functional datums, apply advanced GD&T and perform tolerance analyses.
• Own system-level packaging of electronics, including radios, antennas, PCBAs and harnessing.
• Select materials and manufacturing processes based on structural, thermal, environmental, cost and schedule needs.
• Design for manufacturing processes such as CNC machining, additive manufacturing, injection molding and composites.
• Drive cross-functional collaboration across electrical, RF, manufacturing, quality, supply chain and test teams.
• Serve as technical or project lead on select efforts, managing scope, schedule and risk.
• Lead design reviews and guide structural, thermal, tolerance and manufacturability analyses.
• Support prototype builds, qualification, production integration, troubleshooting and root-cause investigations.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering field.
• 8+ years of mechanical design and product-development experience, including ownership of complex products or subsystems from concept through production.
• Advanced proficiency in GD&T and ASME Y14.5.
• Deep experience creating and releasing detailed 2D production drawings for complex parts and assemblies.
• Strong proficiency with a production CAD platform such as NX, Creo, CATIA, SolidWorks or Inventor.
• Experience developing hardware with metallics, engineering plastics, composites, elastomers and structural adhesives.
• Practical design-for-manufacturing experience across multiple processes.
• Strong understanding of material selection, tolerance analysis, manufacturing variation and inspection methods.
• Proven ability to work cross-functionally with manufacturing, quality, electrical engineering, supply chain and suppliers.
• Demonstrated ability to independently lead technical decisions and resolve complex problems.
• Cleared background check and possible reference check.

Nice to have

• Experience with Siemens NX and Teamcenter.
• Experience designing and integrating airborne, aerospace, defense or ruggedized hardware.
• Experience packaging radios, antennas, PCBAs, sensors, connectors and embedded electronics.
• Familiarity with coaxial and RF cables, wiring harnesses and connector integration.
• Experience designing composite structures and hybrid composite-metal assemblies.
• Understanding of electronics thermal management, grounding, shielding and EMI/EMC.
• Familiarity with vibration, shock, temperature, corrosion and ingress protection requirements.
• Experience with ground support equipment, test fixtures or qualification hardware.
• Hands-on experience supporting prototype builds, production, environmental testing and field troubleshooting.

Benefits

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

Before you apply

• All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check.
• Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits.
• Salary is influenced by skill set, experience, licenses and certifications, and work location.

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.