Senior Mechanical Engineer, Systems Integration

Shield; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI in the United States seeks a Senior Systems Integration Engineer to lead the design and integration of complex aircraft systems from concept to production. You will own subsystem integration activities, including installation design, packaging, routing, interface definition, and manufacturing support, ensuring compatibility across structures, avionics, propulsion, and other aircraft systems.

The ideal candidate is an experienced mechanical engineer with strong systems thinking, proven

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years in aerospace/defense or complex electromechanical system development.
• Experience leading mechanical integration of subsystems or complex assemblies.
• Advanced CAD proficiency and familiarity with PLM systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead the mechanical integration of complete aircraft subsystems from concept through production, ensuring compatibility across interfaces.
• Develop installation architecture for complex aircraft systems, including packaging and routing of electrical and fluid systems.
• Lead the design of machined, composite, fabricated, and sheet metal assemblies.
• Develop and review installation drawings, assembly documentation, and configuration baselines.
• Perform advanced tolerance analyses and engineering trade studies to support decisions.
• Coordinate subsystem integration during prototype builds, aircraft assembly, and production.

Skills

Systems integration

CAD proficiency

Cross-functional coordination

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

NX CAD

SolidWorks

CATIA

Creo

PLM (Teamcenter/Windchill/3DEXPERIENCE)

Job description

Job Description 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-BATaircraft, 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 Follow Shield AI onLinkedIn,X,Instagram, andYouTube.

As a Senior Systems Integration Engineer, you will lead the design and integration of complex aircraft systems from concept through production. You will own subsystem-level integration activities, including installation design, equipment packaging, routing, interface definition, and manufacturing support, while ensuring compatibility across structures, avionics, propulsion, and other aircraft systems. You will serve as the technical lead for integration work statements, coordinating with multidisciplinary engineering teams to resolve integration challenges, drive design decisions, and deliver robust, manufacturable solutions that meet program objectives. The ideal candidate is an experienced mechanical engineer who combines strong aircraft design fundamentals with systems-level thinking. They have demonstrated success leading subsystem integration efforts, proactively identifying technical risks, mentoring junior engineers, and collaborating effectively across engineering disciplines to deliver integrated aircraft solutions.

What You\'ll Do

• Lead the mechanical integration of complete aircraft subsystems from concept through production, ensuring compatibility across structural, electrical, avionics, propulsion, and manufacturing interfaces.
• Develop installation architecture for complex aircraft systems, including subsystem packaging, equipment mounting, and routing of electrical and fluid systems.
• Lead the design of complex machined, composite, fabricated, and sheet metal assemblies requiring advanced engineering judgment.
• Develop and review installation drawings, assembly documentation, and configuration baselines to ensure design consistency and production readiness.
• Perform advanced tolerance analyses, structural hand calculations, and engineering trade studies supporting design decisions.
• Coordinate subsystem integration activities during prototype builds, aircraft assembly, and production.
• Mentor junior engineers in CAD modeling, GD&T application, installation design, and engineering best practices.
• Coordinate suppliers and internal stakeholders to resolve technical issues affecting integration, manufacturability, schedule, or cost.
• Support technical planning, schedule development, and project execution for assigned work packages.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline.
• 5+ years of experience in aircraft, aerospace, defense, robotics, or complex electromechanical system development.
• Demonstrated experience designing machined, fabricated, composite, and sheet metal components from concept through production release.
• Demonstrated experience leading mechanical integration of aircraft subsystems or complex assemblies.
• Advanced CAD proficiency with NX, SolidWorks, CATIA, Creo, or equivalent.
• Experience managing engineering data, product structures, Bills of Material (BOMs), and drawing releases using PLM systems such as Teamcenter, Windchill, or 3DEXPERIENCE.
• Working knowledge of aircraft installation practices, subsystem packaging, interface management, equipment mounting, and maintainability considerations.
• Experience developing installation layouts and routing solutions for EWIS, hydraulic, fuel, pneumatic, ECS, or similar mechanical systems.
• Experience developing part drawings, assembly drawings, and installation drawings.
• Working knowledge of EWIS, hydraulic, fuel, pneumatic, or ECS routing design.
• Strong knowledge of GD&T, ASME Y14.5, tolerance stack-up, and drawing release processes.
• Experience supporting manufacturing, prototype builds, production issue resolution, or MRB activity.
• Ability to coordinate across Manufacturing, Stress, Systems, Avionics, Supply Chain, and Test teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Aircraft integration experience on UAV, military, commercial, eVTOL, or autonomous aircraft programs.
• Experience performing structural hand calculations, margin assessments, or preliminary stress analysis.
• Experience with FEA including static, modal, vibration, fatigue, or thermal analysis.
• Hands-on experience supporting build, production, testing, or hardware validation activities.
• Experience managing technical scope, schedule, risk, or supplier coordination for subsystem work packages.
• Familiarity with aircraft-level requirements, interface control, and configuration management.

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. 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 judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.