Senior Staff Engineer, Flight Control Actuation Systems - Ranger (R6327)

Shield; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI is seeking a Senior Staff Engineer to own the flight-control actuation system design for a Group 5 UAV fighter aircraft. You will translate first principles into requirements, resolve actuator and integration trades, and push qualified hardware from design through production support, balancing rigor with rapid decision-making.

The role requires deep experience in actuator dynamics, control-law integration with flight controls, and coordination across power, thermal, and structural

Qualifications

• 8–15 years in flight control actuation system design for fixed-wing aircraft.
• Experience sourcing aerospace components and building bench/test setups.
• Self-directed, with strong prioritization and ownership.

Responsibilities

• Define, allocate, and own FCAS requirements and verification traceability.
• Design and analyze actuator systems: sizing, bandwidth, redundancy, failure modes.
• Integrate control laws with Flight Controls and Vehicle Management Systems.
• Influence power/thermal integration with EPS and hydraulic interfaces.
• Coordinate structure integration and hinge moment management.
• Define and execute FCAS qualification tests per MIL-HDBK-516 and MIL-STD-810.
• Lead design maturity and qualification reviews at SRR, PDR, and CDR.

Skills

Actuator design

System ownership

Dynamic performance

Integration with flight controls

Autonomy under tight timelines

Education

B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering

Tools

MIL-HDBK-516

MIL-STD-810

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 www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

Job Description:

As a Senior Staff Engineer, you will take full technical ownership of flight control actuation system design for a Group 5 UAV fighter aircraft. You will work from first principles to define requirements, resolve actuator and integration trades, and drive qualified flight‑control actuation hardware from design through production support. 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.

What you’ll do:

• System Ownership: Define, allocate, and own the FCAS requirements and verification traceability matrix.

• Actuator Performance: Design and analyze control surface actuation systems, including sizing, dynamic response, bandwidth, redundancy, and failure modes.

• Control‑Law Integration: Drive the control law‑actuator interface with Flight Controls and Vehicle Management Systems, including actuator dynamics modeling and control surface authority requirements.

• Power and Thermal Integration: Drive actuator power source architecture and load analysis with EPS and hydraulic systems leads, and resolve actuator heat‑generation and local thermal‑load interfaces with thermal management.

• Structural Integration: Drive coordination of control surface hinge moments and actuator reaction loads with structures.

• Qualification and Hardware Delivery: Define and execute FCAS qualification test plans per MIL‑HDBK‑516 and MIL‑STD‑810, using test results to mature qualified flight‑control actuation hardware.

• Program Execution: Lead FCAS design‑maturity and qualification‑status reviews at SRR, PDR, and CDR.

Required qualifications:

• Experience: 8 to 15 years in flight control actuation system design on fixed‑wing aircraft.

• Education: B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

• Hardware and Supplier Execution: Proven track record sourcing COTS/custom aerospace components, driving suppliers to schedule, and assembling benchtop or vehicle‑level test setups.

• Autonomy: Demonstrated ability to self‑direct, prioritize technical tasks without oversight, and deliver functional hardware under tight timelines.

• Dynamic Performance: Demonstrated experience with actuator dynamic performance analysis, including bandwidth, response, stability margins, failure mode analysis, and redundancy analysis.

• Integration: Experience coordinating with flight controls and VMS engineers on actuator‑control law integration.

• Standards and Reviews: Familiarity with MIL‑HDBK‑516 and MIL‑STD‑810 as applied to flight control actuation, and experience supporting SRR, PDR, and CDR on a DoD or fighter‑class aircraft program.

Preferred qualifications:

• Prior fighter or fighter‑adjacent program experience, manned or unmanned.

• Unmanned or autonomous flight control experience, including the redundancy philosophy differences from manned aircraft.

• Experience with EMA or EHA control surface actuators.

• Secret clearance eligible.

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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.