Manager, Mechanical Engineering - Hardware Test (X-BAT) (R6093)

The role

You will lead a team of mechanical engineers who build and maintain hardware test equipment for the X-BAT aircraft program. You will set the team's roadmap, manage its people and capacity, and set the engineering quality bar for test stands and fixtures.

What you will do

• Lead, coach, and grow a team of mechanical engineers on X-BAT hardware-test equipment, including hiring, onboarding, performance management and career development.
• Own the mechanical hardware-test roadmap and delivery portfolio across development, integration, qualification and production-test needs.
• Turn program milestones and verification needs into executable plans with scope, staffing, schedule and risk actions.
• Manage team capacity across concurrent test campaigns and communicate staffing, budget and technical tradeoffs.
• Set the quality bar for requirements, design reviews, GD&T, tolerance analysis, drawing release and configuration control.
• Ensure test stands and fixtures are safe, repeatable, maintainable and efficient for operators.
• Serve as the senior mechanical escalation point for test-equipment architecture, load paths, materials and hazards.
• Drive standardization and reuse across test assets.
• Oversee fabrication, procurement and commissioning with internal shops and external suppliers.
• Lead root-cause investigations and corrective actions involving test equipment or units under test.

Required qualifications

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or a related STEM discipline.
• 8+ years of experience developing complex mechanical hardware, test equipment, tooling, fixtures or ground-support equipment in a high-consequence environment.
• 2+ years of direct people-management experience.
• Demonstrated success leading a team through design, release, fabrication, checkout, deployment and sustainment of multiple complex hardware systems.
• Strong mechanical engineering fundamentals: statics, dynamics, load paths, fatigue, materials, fasteners, tolerancing, GD&T and machine safety.
• Experience establishing engineering standards and leading requirements, architecture and design reviews.
• Proficiency with an industry-standard CAD and product-lifecycle workflow such as NX, SolidWorks, CATIA or Teamcenter.
• Experience managing a multi-project technical roadmap and communicating risk and tradeoffs to leadership.
• Hands-on judgment from lab, prototype, manufacturing or production environments.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Nice to have

• Experience with aerospace ground-test or production-test equipment for flight-critical hardware.
• Experience with environmental or qualification testing such as vibration, shock, thermal, pressure or durability.
• Experience with high-load structural fixtures, rotating equipment, fluid systems or propulsion-related test equipment.
• Working knowledge of ANSYS, Abaqus, Nastran or equivalent analysis tools.
• Experience with hazard analysis, DFMEA, FTA, proof-load testing, guarding or interlocks.
• Experience improving equipment uptime, repeatability, maintainability or configuration control.
• Experience developing capital-equipment plans and managing fabrication partners or suppliers.
• Active secret clearance or eligibility to obtain one, and SCI eligibility.

Benefits

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

Before you apply

• All offers are contingent on a cleared background check and possible reference check.
• Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits.
• Active secret clearance or eligibility to obtain one, plus SCI eligibility, is preferred.

About the company

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company that builds AI-powered autonomy software and aircraft systems, including Hivemind, V-BAT, X-BAT and Aechelon simulation technologies. It operates offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.