Senior Staff Engineer, Actuation Systems Architecture & Design (RX) (R6003)

Shield; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI in the defense-tech sector is seeking a Senior Staff Engineer (L4/L5) to take full technical ownership of actuation systems for a Group 5 UAV fighter aircraft. You will define requirements, perform first-principles design, and drive the architecture from concept through integration and production.

In this accelerated aircraft development environment, you will balance technical rigor with rapid decision-making, delivering meaningful capability to operators while ensuring robust,

Qualifications

• Senior Staff Engineer (L4/L5) responsible for actuation systems architecture and integration.
• Define requirements and drive design decisions from first principles.
• Transition concepts to production in an accelerated aircraft program.

Responsibilities

• Take full technical ownership of actuation systems.
• Define requirements and drive detailed design through to production.
• Work in an accelerated aircraft development environment to deliver capability to operators.

Skills

Actuation systems

Systems architecture

Aerospace engineering

Hands-on engineering

Design for production

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:

As a Senior Staff Engineer (L4/L5), you will take full technical ownership of actuation systems architecture, design, and integration for actuated systems and mechanisms on a Group 5 UAV fighter aircraft. You will work from first principles to define requirements, make sound design decisions, and drive the selected solutions through detailed design, integration, qualification, and production. This position requires a balance of technical rigor, rapid decision-making, and hands-on engineering to efficiently transition concepts into operational capability. The ideal candidate is comfortable solving complex problems, taking ownership, working within an accelerated aircraft development environment, and is motivated by getting meaningful capability into the hands of operators quickly.