Senior Vibrations Test Engineer (R5091)

Shield; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Benefits

Equity

Job summary

Shield AI is seeking a Mechanical/Vibration Engineer in Washington, DC to lead vibration test programs and support flight hardware development. You will design test setups, run shaker tests, and perform modal analysis to validate FE models.

You will work with cross-functional engineers to ensure test results drive design improvements, maintain equipment, and communicate findings clearly in reports and presentations.

Qualifications

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Structural Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

Responsibilities

• Lead vibration test programs planning, execution, and analysis.
• Design and deploy instrumented test setups for vibration, modal, structural, and environmental testing.
• Execute shaker table testing (sine sweep, random vibration, resonance search, dwell, shock).
• Perform experimental modal analysis to characterize dynamics and validate FE models.
• Develop fixtures and test methodologies reproducing operational loads.
• Instrument hardware using accelerometers, strain gauges, force sensors, displacement sensors, and other dynamic measurement systems.
• Analyze vibration data to identify resonances, mode shapes, and damping characteristics.
• Collaborate with Mechanical Design and Structural Analysis to correlate tests with analytical models.
• Investigate vibration-related issues and recommend design improvements.
• Create test plans, procedures, reports, and presentations communicating results.
• Maintain testing equipment, DAQ systems, instrumentation, and calibration records.
• Support environmental qualification testing and other mechanical tests as needed.

Skills

Vibration testing

Shaker systems

Accelerometers

DAQ systems

Structural dynamics

Modal analysis

Experimental modal testing

Vibration data analysis

NX CAD

Technical communication

Ownership / self-motivation

Education

B.S. in Mechanical/Aerospace/Structural Engineering or related discipline

Tools

ANSYS/Abaqus

Data Physics / HBK / Crystal Instruments / m+p / LMS/Siemens

Strain gauges

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 Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

What you'll do:

• Lead the planning, execution, and analysis of vibration test programs supporting product development, qualification, and flight readiness.
• Design, build, and deploy instrumented test setups for vibration, modal, structural, and environmental testing using industry-standard measurement equipment.
• Execute shaker table testing including sine sweep, random vibration, sine-on-random, resonance search, dwell, and shock testing.
• Perform experimental modal analysis to characterize structural dynamics and validate finite element models.
• Develop fixture designs and test methodologies that accurately replicate operational loading conditions while minimizing fixture influence.
• Instrument hardware using accelerometers, strain gauges, force sensors, displacement sensors, and other dynamic measurement systems.
• Analyze vibration response data using frequency-domain and time-domain techniques to identify resonances, mode shapes, damping characteristics, and potential failure mechanisms.
• Partner closely with Mechanical Design and Structural Analysis engineers to correlate test results with analytical models and improve future designs.
• Investigate vibration-related hardware issues, perform root cause analysis, and recommend design improvements.
• Develop comprehensive test plans, procedures, reports, and technical presentations that clearly communicate results and engineering recommendations.
• Maintain vibration testing equipment, data acquisition systems, instrumentation, and calibration records.
• Support environmental qualification testing and other mechanical test activities as needed.

Required qualifications:

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Structural Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Hands-on experience performing vibration testing of mechanical or aerospace systems through industry, research, internships, or competitive engineering projects.
• Experience operating electrodynamic shaker systems and associated vibration control software.
• Experience with accelerometers, signal conditioning, data acquisition systems, and dynamic instrumentation.
• Working knowledge of structural dynamics, vibration theory, modal analysis, and frequency response functions.
• Experience performing or supporting experimental modal testing and finite element model correlation.
• Familiarity with MIL-STD-810 vibration and shock testing or equivalent aerospace qualification standards.
• Experience interpreting vibration data and identifying resonances, structural response characteristics, and failure modes.
• Working knowledge of CAD software (NX preferred).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate technical findings to multidisciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated ability to take ownership of technical work, drive projects independently, and deliver high-quality results in a fast-paced engineering environment.
• Ability to obtain a Secret//Special Access Required (S//SAR) security clearance is desired.

Preferred qualifications:

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Structural Engineering, or a related technical field with an emphasis in structural dynamics or vibration.
• Experience designing vibration test fixtures and specialized dynamic test equipment.
• Experience using vibration control and data acquisition platforms such as Data Physics, Brüel & Kjær (HBK), Crystal Instruments, m+p International, LMS/Simcenter Testlab, or similar systems.
• Experience with finite element analysis software (ANSYS, Abaqus, Nastran, or equivalent) and test‑analysis correlation.
• Experience with strain gauge testing, digital image correlation (DIC), or other advanced structural measurement techniques.
• Experience supporting aerospace, defense, robotics, UAV, or other high-reliability hardware development programs.
• Experience with Design of Experiments (DOE), root cause analysis, and failure investigation.

Fulltime regular employee offer package: Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity

Temporary employee offer package: Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)

Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location.

All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check.

Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits.

Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.

Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed toequal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.