Senior Staff Engineer — UAV Actuation Architect

Shield AI; Dallas, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 174,000 - 261,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Benefits

Equity

Job summary

Shield AI is seeking a Senior Staff Engineer (L4/L5) to own the actuation systems architecture for a Group 5 UAV fighter aircraft. You will define requirements, drive designs from first principles, and push concepts through qualification and production for rapid fielding.

The role demands hands-on engineering, rigorous design decisions, and leadership through SRR, PDR, and CDR in a fast-paced aircraft development program. Clearance with a DoD background is required.

Qualifications

• Clearance required: US Citizens Only & Must have an Active Secret or higher clearance.
• 8–15 years in aircraft actuation systems design with hands-on depth in electric actuation or centralized hydraulics.
• Experience sourcing COTS/custom aerospace components and driving suppliers to schedule.
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary actuation design and integration efforts.
• Familiarity with MIL-HDBK-516 and MIL-STD-810 in actuation and mechanical systems.
• Experience supporting SRR, PDR, and CDR on a DoD or fighter-class program.

Responsibilities

• Lead architecture, requirements definition, and detailed design of actuation systems across bay doors and airframe mechanisms.
• Own actuator selection, sizing, sequencing, redundancy, and failure mode analysis; interface with mechanisms.
• Drive integration of actuation systems with control surfaces, weapons bay doors, and other vehicle mechanisms.
• Own actuator power architecture and interfaces with EPS and thermal management.
• Define and own verification traceability for actuation system requirements with FCAS, EPS, thermal, structures, and propulsion IPTs.
• Perform focused technology assessments to resolve actuation design risks.
• Define and execute MIL-STD-810 qualification plans and maturation to production-ready hardware.
• Lead design maturity and qualification reviews at SRR, PDR, and CDR.

Skills

Actuation design

Electric actuation

Hydraulics

FMEA

Systems integration

MIL-HDBK-516

SRR/PDR/CDR

Education

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

Job description

Shield AI is seeking a Senior Staff Engineer (L4/L5) to own the actuation systems architecture for a Group 5 UAV fighter aircraft. You will define requirements, drive designs from first principles, and push concepts through qualification and production for rapid fielding.

The role demands hands-on engineering, rigorous design decisions, and leadership through SRR, PDR, and CDR in a fast-paced aircraft development program. Clearance with a DoD background is required.