Senior Staff Engineer, UAV Actuation Systems Architecture

Shieldai; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Benefits

Equity

Job summary

Shield AI is seeking a Senior Staff Engineer (L4/L5) to own actuation systems architecture for Group 5 UAVs. You will define requirements, select solutions, and drive design, qualification, and production in a fast-paced environment.

The role demands hands-on electrical actuation expertise, system integration across airframe mechanisms, and proven experience with MIL-STD-810 and MIL-HDBK-516. U.S. citizenship and active clearance are required.

Qualifications

• 8–15 years in aircraft actuation systems design with hands-on depth in electric actuation.
• Active Secret clearance or higher required.
• B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical, Aerospace, or Electrical Engineering.
• Experience with actuation for fighter or unmanned systems.
• Experience with MIL-STD-810 and MIL-HDBK-516.

Responsibilities

• Actuation System Ownership: Lead architecture, requirements definition, and detailed design of actuation systems across bay doors and other airframe mechanisms.
• Actuator and Mechanism Design: Own actuator selection and sizing, sequencing, redundancy management, failure mode analysis, and interfaces with the mechanisms they actuate.
• Vehicle Mechanism Integration: Drive integration of actuation systems with control surfaces, weapons bay doors, and other vehicle mechanisms, including timing, load, sealing, and structural interface requirements.
• Power and Thermal Integration: Own actuator power architecture and load‑analysis interfaces with EPS, and heat‑generation and heat‑rejection interfaces with thermal management.
• Requirements and Verification: Define, allocate, and own verification traceability for actuation system requirements with FCAS, EPS, thermal management, structures, and propulsion IPTs.
• Targeted Technical Decisions: Perform focused technology assessments when needed to resolve specific actuation design and integration risks.
• Qualification and Hardware Delivery: Define and execute qualification test plans per MIL-STD-810, using results to mature the design into production‑ready hardware and support MIL-HDBK-516 Airworthiness Certification.
• Program Execution: Lead design‑maturity and qualification‑status reviews at SRR, PDR, and CDR.

Skills

Actuation design

Systems integration

Electric actuation

DoD program experience

FMEA

MIL-HDBK-516

MIL-STD-810

Hardware sourcing

Project leadership

Clearance

Education

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

Job description

Shield AI is seeking a Senior Staff Engineer (L4/L5) to own actuation systems architecture for Group 5 UAVs. You will define requirements, select solutions, and drive design, qualification, and production in a fast-paced environment.

The role demands hands-on electrical actuation expertise, system integration across airframe mechanisms, and proven experience with MIL-STD-810 and MIL-HDBK-516. U.S. citizenship and active clearance are required.