Senior UAV Structural Analyst — FEA & Lightweight Airframes

Shield; San Diego (CA, TX); On-site; USD 110,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Benefits

Equity

Job summary

Shield AI seeks a Sr. Structural Analyst to support analysis and testing of advanced UAVs. You will collaborate across engineering disciplines to ensure airframe structural integrity, weight targets, and safety requirements.

Ideal candidates have 5+ years in structural analysis, experience with FEA tools, and knowledge of composite materials, with a focus on aerospace structures in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in structural analysis or aircraft loads analysis.
• B.S. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering (or related) with 3+ years if M.S.
• Experience with FEA tools and hand calculations.
• Knowledge of composite materials and lightweight aerospace structures.
• Familiarity with mechanical testing methods (static, vibration, fatigue).
• Data analysis with Excel/MATLAB/Python.

Responsibilities

• Build and refine finite element models to evaluate structural performance of UAV components.
• Perform static, modal, fatigue, and vibration analyses to assess stress and durability.
• Conduct hand calculations to validate FEA results.
• Collaborate with design engineers to optimize airframe structures balancing weight and strength.
• Develop test plans for structural validation including quasi-static and vibration testing.
• Analyze flight telemetry and test data to improve modeling accuracy.

Skills

Structural analysis

Finite element modeling

FEA tools

Hand calculations

Composite materials

Data analysis

Security clearance

Education

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering

B.S. in Aerospace Engineering

M.S. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

FEMAP

NASTRAN

HyperWorks

ANSYS

Patran

NX / CATIA / SolidWorks

Teamcenter

Job description

Shield AI seeks a Sr. Structural Analyst to support analysis and testing of advanced UAVs. You will collaborate across engineering disciplines to ensure airframe structural integrity, weight targets, and safety requirements.

Ideal candidates have 5+ years in structural analysis, experience with FEA tools, and knowledge of composite materials, with a focus on aerospace structures in a fast-paced environment.