Senior Aerostructures Design Engineer for UAVs

Shield AI; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 240,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI seeks a Principal Aerostructures Design Engineer to own the design and development of high-performance structural components for its next‑gen UAV platform. You will drive the structural lifecycle from concept through production, using FEA to optimize performance under mission loads.

You will collaborate with aerodynamics, propulsion, avionics, payload, and manufacturing teams to ensure integration, manufacturability, and test readiness while mentoring junior engineers and contributing

Qualifications

• 15+ years of aircraft structural design experience with ownership of components or systems in development, testing, or production.
• Deep understanding of composite and metallic structures, including material behavior, joints, and environmental effects.
• Expertise in CAD tools (NX, CATIA, SolidWorks) and FEA tools (ANSYS, Abaqus, NASTRAN).
• Experience conducting or overseeing stress, fatigue analysis, and design optimization.
• Knowledge of DFMA, GD&T, tolerance stackups, and structural layout principles.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of structural components and assemblies for Shield AI’s UAV platform, focusing on primary and secondary structures.
• Own the structural design lifecycle from concept to drawing release, ensuring quality and traceability.
• Perform and guide linear and nonlinear structural analysis, stress analysis, and margin assessment under operational loads.
• Collaborate with aerodynamics, propulsion, avionics, payload, and manufacturing teams for system integration.
• Support material selection, emphasizing composites and aluminum alloys, and advanced manufacturing methods.
• Lead design reviews, architecture discussions, and decision-making forums for structural systems.
• Oversee structural validation testing from coupon to full-system level.
• Develop design documentation, analysis reports, interface definitions, and verification plans per MIL-STD, FAA, and Shield AI standards.
• Mentor junior engineers and review work for rigor, performance, and manufacturability.
• Coordinate with manufacturing and flight test teams to transition designs to production and field deployment.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Technical communication

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Mechanical/Aerospace

Tools

NX CAD

CATIA

SolidWorks

ANSYS

Abaqus

NASTRAN

Job description

Shield AI seeks a Principal Aerostructures Design Engineer to own the design and development of high-performance structural components for its next‑gen UAV platform. You will drive the structural lifecycle from concept through production, using FEA to optimize performance under mission loads.

You will collaborate with aerodynamics, propulsion, avionics, payload, and manufacturing teams to ensure integration, manufacturability, and test readiness while mentoring junior engineers and contributing