Air Vehicle Lead: Senior Aerospace Systems Architect

Shield AI; San Diego (TX); On-site; USD 212,000 - 318,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Benefits

Equity

Job summary

Shield AI is seeking an Air Vehicle Lead to own the aircraft architecture, performance, and integration across the development lifecycle. You will guide a multidisciplinary team through design, build, ground and flight testing, balancing trades to achieve robust, producible hardware.

You will remain hands-on in reviews, drive risk retirement, and collaborate with manufacturing and suppliers to transition to production.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field. Master's preferred.
• 15+ years of relevant aircraft development experience with leadership on complex aerospace programs.
• Experience leading air vehicle development through design, build, integration, and flight testing.
• Broad understanding across aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, avionics, and vehicle integration.
• Hands-on leader with ability to balance analysis, test, schedule and risk.

Responsibilities

• Own the Air Vehicle: lead architecture, performance, integration and design integrity through development lifecycle.
• Provide technical direction across aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, avionics, and other disciplines.
• Lead system-level trades on performance, weight, range, cost, reliability, and manufacturability.
• Drive design execution from requirements to production release and flight test.
• Stay hands-on in reviews, problem solving, root-cause analysis, and critical decisions.
• Identify and close high-value technical risks to enable mission success.
• Build-test-learn with rapid prototyping, ground and flight testing, and data‑driven improvements.
• Drive interfaces and production readiness with manufacturing, supply chain and quality.
• Lead suppliers and partners to meet aircraft-level requirements and program objectives.
• Mentor engineers and raise program technical capability.

Skills

Technical leadership

Aerospace engineering

System integration

Trade studies

Hands-on problem solving

Flight testing

Manufacturing collaboration

Education

Bachelor's in Aerospace/Mechanical

Master's degree preferred

Job description

Shield AI is seeking an Air Vehicle Lead to own the aircraft architecture, performance, and integration across the development lifecycle. You will guide a multidisciplinary team through design, build, ground and flight testing, balancing trades to achieve robust, producible hardware.

You will remain hands-on in reviews, drive risk retirement, and collaborate with manufacturing and suppliers to transition to production.