Senior Staff Engineer, Flight Control Actuation Systems (RX) (R5999)

Shield; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI in Dallas seeks a Staff or Senior Staff Engineer (L4/L5) to own flight control actuation system design for a Group 5 UAV fighter aircraft. You will define requirements from first principles and drive hardware from design through production support.

This role demands rigorous technical execution, fast decision-making, and hands-on engineering to transition concepts into operational capability while balancing risk and schedule in an accelerated aircraft program.

Responsibilities

• Own flight control actuation system design for a Group 5 UAV fighter aircraft.
• Define requirements from first principles and trade off actuator/integration options.
• Drive qualified flight-control actuation hardware from design through production support.

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 Staff or Senior Staff Engineer (L4/L5), 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.