Staff Engineer, Aircraft Thermal Systems (RX) (R6002)

Shield; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI is seeking a Staff (L4) Aircraft Thermal Systems Engineer to own thermal analysis, design, and integration for a Group 5 UAV fighter aircraft. You will characterize aircraft thermal environments, evaluate heat-transfer pathways, and develop cooling solutions in a fast-paced development setting.

The ideal candidate has hands-on engineering experience, strong ownership, and thrives in accelerated aircraft programs, delivering robust thermal systems for operators in the field.

Qualifications

• Experience with thermal analysis for aircraft systems.
• Ability to own technical work from concept to integration.
• Strong hands-on engineering in a fast-paced development environment.

Responsibilities

• Own thermal analysis, design, and integration for Group 5 UAVs.
• Develop and evaluate cooling solutions and heat-transfer pathways.
• Validate analytical and computational models with hardware tests.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver hardware in rapid iterations.

Skills

Thermal analysis

Heat transfer

Vehicle integration

System design

Hands-on engineering

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 www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

Job Description:

As a Staff (L4) Aircraft Thermal Systems Engineer, you will take full technical ownership of thermal analysis, design, and vehicle integration for a Group 5 UAV fighter aircraft. You will work from first principles to characterize aircraft-level thermal environments, evaluate heat-transfer pathways, develop cooling solutions, correlate analytical and computational models, and deliver robust thermal systems and hardware in a rapid-iteration development environment. This position requires a balance of technical rigor, rapid decision-making, and hands-on engineering to efficiently transition concepts into operational capability. The ideal candidate is comfortable solving complex problems, taking ownership, working within an accelerated aircraft development environment, and is motivated by getting meaningful capability into the hands of operators quickly.