Senior Manager, Mechanical Engineering - Avionics (R4416)

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

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Equity

Benefits

Job summary

Shield AI seeks a Senior Manager of Mechanical Engineering to lead the team responsible for mechanical design, thermal management, and EWIS in the X-BAT program. You will set the technical vision, hire engineers, and partner with other leads to execute cross-functionally.

This role requires hands-on history, strong fundamentals, and a track record of delivering hardware from concept through manufacturing in a fast-paced defense-tech environment. Security clearance is 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.

Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture and design for all mechanical, thermal, and EWIS elements of ground and flight avionics on the X-BAT program.
• Take ownership of a small team of thermal, mechanical, and EWIS engineers, establish leads and sub-managers, and grow the team to support program goals.
• While not an individual contributor, you must have past hands-on design experience to set the standard for the team.
• Develop standards and processes for thermal and mechanical engineering of critical avionics hardware.
• Partner closely with electrical engineering, RF, PCB design, reliability, supply chain, structures, manufacturing and other disciplines to drive full scope product delivery.
• Own your team's output of complex electro-mechanical solutions for flight-critical avionics systems that withstand harsh environments.

Skills

Team leadership

Mechanical design

CAD modeling

FEA

Thermal analysis

Avionics packaging

Cross-functional collaboration

Security clearance

Manufacturing liaison

Education

B.S. Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering

Tools

NX

SolidWorks

CATIA

Job description

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, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. 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

• Lead the team responsible for the architecture and design for all mechanical, thermal, and EWIS elements of ground and flight avionics on the X-BAT program
• Take ownership of a small team of thermal, mechanical, and EWIS engineers, establish leads and sub-managers, and grow the team to support program goals 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
• Develop standards and processes for thermal and mechanical engineering of critical avionics hardware
• Partner closely with electrical engineering, RF, PCB design, reliability, supply chain, structures, manufacturing and other disciplines to drive full scope product delivery
• Own your team's output of 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

#LE

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 to equal 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.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgement. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.