Junior Aerospace Structures Engineer – Design & Validation

Shieldai; United States; On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Equity

Benefits

Job summary

Shield AI is seeking an Aerostructures Design Engineer I to support the development of structural components for our next-generation autonomous aircraft. You will design and develop high-performance structures from concept through production release, collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure performance and manufacturability.

This entry-level role is ideal for engineers with 0–2 years of experience looking to grow in structural design, CAD modeling, product development, and design

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering.
• 0–2 years of experience in aircraft structural design or related aerospace structures.
• Experience designing and releasing structural components in development or production environments.
• Knowledge of composite and metallic structures, fasteners, bonded joints, and load paths.
• Proficiency in CAD tools (NX, CATIA, SolidWorks, or similar).
• Understanding of GD&T, tolerance stackups, and DFMA principles.
• Experience using FEA tools (ANSYS, Abaqus, NASTRAN, or similar).

Responsibilities

• Design and develop structural components and assemblies for UAV platform structures.
• Lead design lifecycle steps from conceptual development through drawing release.
• Perform hand calculations and limited FEA with guidance from senior engineers.
• Collaborate with aerodynamics, propulsion, avionics, payload and manufacturing teams for integration.
• Support structural validation including coupon testing and system verification.
• Create design documentation, drawings, and interface definitions per aerospace standards.
• Partner with manufacturing and flight test teams to resolve build issues.
• Participate in design reviews and present work clearly.
• Grow technical depth in structural layouts, joints, tolerancing, and optimization.

Skills

0–2 years experience in aerospace

Strong written and verbal technical | 

Fast-paced, high ownership environment

Security clearance desired

Composite design exposure

UAV/DoD/aerospace programs experience

GD&T and tolerancing

Test and design iteration experience

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Mechanical or Aerospace

MS in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering

Tools

NX

CATIA

SolidWorks

ANSYS

Abaqus

NASTRAN

Job description

Shield AI is seeking an Aerostructures Design Engineer I to support the development of structural components for our next-generation autonomous aircraft. You will design and develop high-performance structures from concept through production release, collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure performance and manufacturability.

This entry-level role is ideal for engineers with 0–2 years of experience looking to grow in structural design, CAD modeling, product development, and design