Senior Autonomous UAV Aerostructures Architect

InvestedintheMission; San Diego (CA); 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 systems for next-generation autonomous aircraft. You will drive concept through production-ready hardware, ensuring structural integrity, manufacturability, and mission readiness in a fast-paced environment.

You will mentor engineers, lead design reviews, perform advanced FEA, and collaborate across aerodynamics, propulsion, avionics, and manufacturing teams to ensure

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering.
• 15+ years of experience in aircraft structural design, with ownership of components or systems.
• Deep understanding of composite and metallic structures, including behavior, joints, and environmental effects.
• Proficiency with CAD/FEA tools (NX/CATIA/SolidWorks; ANSYS/Abaqus/NASTRAN).
• Experience with stress, fatigue analysis and design optimization.
• Knowledge of DFMA, GD&T, tolerance stacks, and structural layouts.
• Strong technical communication and cross-functional leadership.
• Eligible for security clearance (S//SAR) if required.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of primary and secondary aircraft structures.
• Own the structural design lifecycle from concept to release with traceability.
• Perform and guide linear/nonlinear structural analysis and margin assessment.
• Collaborate with aerodynamics, propulsion, avionics, and manufacturing teams.
• Lead material selection for composites and aluminum alloys; advanced manufacturing.
• Conduct design reviews and architectural discussions for structural systems.
• Oversee structural validation testing from coupons to full-scale tests.
• Develop design documentation, analysis reports, and verification plans per MIL-STD/FAA.
• Mentor junior engineers and review work for rigor and manufacturability.
• Partner with production and flight-test teams to transition designs to production.

Skills

Technical leadership

Cross-functional leadership

DFMA & GD&T

Fatigue analysis

Security clearance

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering

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 systems for next-generation autonomous aircraft. You will drive concept through production-ready hardware, ensuring structural integrity, manufacturability, and mission readiness in a fast-paced environment.

You will mentor engineers, lead design reviews, perform advanced FEA, and collaborate across aerodynamics, propulsion, avionics, and manufacturing teams to ensure