Senior Manager, Mechanical Engineering - Avionics (R4416)

Shield; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 185,000 - 278,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI is seeking a Senior Manager of Mechanical Engineering to lead the design, thermal, and harnessing for the X‑BAT aircraft and ground vehicle. Establish the technical vision, hire engineers, and drive cross‑functional execution for flight‑critical systems.

You will partner with electrical, RF, PCB, and manufacturing teams, grow the mechanical team, and ensure designs move from concept through manufacturing while hands-on experience informs leadership.

Qualifications

• B.S. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering is required.
• 10+ years of mechanical design experience around electronics and electrical systems.
• Strong CAD experience (NX, SolidWorks, CATIA) for 3D modeling and layouts.
• Experience developing avionics packaging with electrical engineers.

Responsibilities

• Architect and design all mechanical system aspects for X-BAT aircraft and ground vehicle avionics.
• Inherit and grow a small team, establishing leads and sub-managers.
• Partner with electrical, RF, PCB, reliability, supply chain, structures, and manufacturing to deliver full scope products.
• Deliver complex electro-mechanical solutions for flight-critical systems that withstand harsh environments.

Skills

Mechanical design

Electrical packaging

CAD software

FEA / Thermal

Fabrication liaison

Agile development

Security clearance

Education

B.S. in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering

Tools

NX

SolidWorks

CATIA

Job description

Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software and V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

Job Description:

Shield AI is seeking a Senior Manager of Mechanical Engineering to build and lead the team responsible for all mechanical design, thermal, and harnessing in the X-BAT aircraft and ground vehicle. You will establish the technical vision, hire top tier engineers, and partner with all other engineer team leads to execute cross-functionally. Extreme ownership is expected where your team will carry designs from concept through manufacturing. Team leads and managers at Shield are expected to have strong technical fundamentals and a history of experience being hands on.

What you’ll do:

• Be responsible for the architecture and design for all parts of the mechanical system in the X-BAT aircraft and ground vehicle, as they pertain to avionics
• A small team exists that you will inherit. From there, you will establish leads and sub-managers while growing the team significantly in the immediate and long term
• While you will not be expected to design as an individual contributor, you must have this experience in your past to establish what “right” looks like for your organization
• Partner closely with electrical engineering, RF, PCB design, reliability, supply chain, structures, manufacturing and other disciplines to drive full scope product delivery
• Your team will output complex electro-mechanical solutions for flight critical avionics systems that withstand harsh environments

Required qualifications:

• B.S. in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering
• 10+ years of experience in mechanical design around electronics and electrical systems
• Strong experience in CAD software (NX, SolidWorks, CATIA, or similar) for 3D modeling, drawing creation, and system layout
• Experience working with electrical engineers to develop avionics packaging
• Experience with finite element analysis (FEA), thermal analysis, and fatigue/lifecycle testing
• Experience working directly with fabrication shops, contract manufacturers, and suppliers
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, agile development environment with evolving priorities
• A demonstrated record of working hard, being trustworthy, holding yourself to high standards, and being kind to others
• Ability to obtain a Secret level security clearance

$185,234 - $277,850 a year

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Full-time regular employee offer package:

Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity

Temporary employee offer package:

Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)

Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.

Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed toequal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.