Senior Staff Structural Lead — UAV Airframes

Shieldai; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Benefits

Bonus

Job summary

Shield AI seeks a Senior Staff Structural Analyst to lead advanced structural analyses for UAV airframes, substructures, and components. You will define FE models, load cases, and margins, and oversee static, modal, fatigue, and damage-tolerance analyses, ensuring test correlation and design integrity.

Ideal candidates have 12–15+ years in aerospace structures, strong hands-on FEA and hand-calculation skills, and can mentor teams while balancing weight and cost with performance.

Qualifications

• B.S. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or related field.
• 10+ years in structural analysis, aircraft structures, or aerospace systems.
• Master’s or Ph.D. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering preferred.
• Strong expertise with FEA tools: ANSYS, NASTRAN, HyperWorks, or similar.
• Advanced hand calculations for strength, stability, fatigue, and damage tolerance.
• Experience with composite and lightweight aerospace structures.
• Experience supporting structural testing, model correlation, and flight test validation.
• Ability to lead technical workstreams and influence design decisions.
• Strong communication skills; able to present findings to leadership.
• S//SAR security clearance desired.

Responsibilities

• Lead structural analysis for UAV airframes, major substructures, and critical components.
• Define and execute FE modeling approaches, load cases, assumptions, and margins.
• Perform static, modal, fatigue, vibration, and damage-tolerance analyses.
• Establish hand-calculation practices, model validation, and test correlation.
• Drive structural optimization for performance, weight, cost, and manufacturability.
• Support structural test strategy and correlate results to analysis.
• Review analysis deliverables and participate in design reviews.
• Mentor structural analysts and guide cross-functional teams.
• Collaborate with design, loads, aero, propulsion, and systems groups.
• Contribute to evolving analysis methodologies and internal standards.
• Involve in flight test support and certification efforts.

Skills

Structural analysis

Mentorship

Leadership

Communication skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Presenting findings

Security clearance

Education

B.S. Mechanical/Aerospace

Master’s or Ph.D. in ME/Aerospace

Tools

ANSYS

NASTRAN

HyperWorks

CAD

PLM

Job description

Shield AI seeks a Senior Staff Structural Analyst to lead advanced structural analyses for UAV airframes, substructures, and components. You will define FE models, load cases, and margins, and oversee static, modal, fatigue, and damage-tolerance analyses, ensuring test correlation and design integrity.

Ideal candidates have 12–15+ years in aerospace structures, strong hands-on FEA and hand-calculation skills, and can mentor teams while balancing weight and cost with performance.