Staff Engineer, Industrial

Shield AI; Seattle, Northern (WA, KY); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Benefits

Bonus

Job summary

Shield AI seeks a Staff/Advanced Industrial Engineer to design, optimize, and scale manufacturing systems for aerospace products. You will lead factory layouts, line design, capacity planning, and greenfield facilities to enable rapid, safe, and efficient production.

Responsibilities include 2D/3D layouts, material flow optimization, takt time analysis, and cross-functional reviews. A Bachelor’s in engineering and 8+ years of experience are typical; equity, benefits, and bonus are part of the

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline or related field.
• 8+ years in industrial engineering, factory design, or greenfield facility development.
• Experience designing scalable factory layouts and production lines.

Responsibilities

• Lead factory layout development and production line design for new and existing programs.
• Plan and execute greenfield manufacturing facilities from master planning to layout.
• Develop concepts from planning through production launch with scalable, flexible designs.
• Design and optimize material flow, warehouses, and logistics.
• Create detailed 2D layouts and 3D models of facilities and lines.
• Perform capacity planning, takt time analysis, and bottleneck assessments.
• Conduct time studies and ergonomic analyses to improve productivity.
• Develop factory standards and launch playbooks for future expansions.
• Lead cross-functional design reviews with multiple teams.
• Use discrete-event simulation to validate designs before implementation.
• Support facility construction, equipment installation, and production readiness.

Skills

Factory layout design

Production line design

Lean Manufacturing

Value Stream Mapping

Discrete-event simulation

Project management

Cross-functional leadership

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering

Tools

AutoCAD

SolidWorks

Revit

Visio

Siemens Plant Simulation

FlexSim

AnyLogic

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-BATaircraft, 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:

We are seeking a highly motivated StaffAdvanceIndustrial Engineer to design, optimize, and scale world-class manufacturing systems for advanced aerospace products. In this role, you will lead factory and production system design, including facility layouts, material flow, line balancing, capacity planning, and production readiness. You will also play a critical role in planning and executing greenfield manufacturing facilities, developing factory concepts from the ground up, including production layouts, infrastructure requirements, equipment planning, material flow strategies, and manufacturing standards.

Partnering with Manufacturing Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Facilities, Quality, EHS, and Program Management, you will develop efficient, scalable, and data-driven manufacturing solutions that enable rapid production growth. This is a high-impact role responsible for transforming manufacturing concepts into production-ready factories while driving safety, quality, throughput, and operational excellence.

What you’ll do:

• Lead factory layout development, production line design, and manufacturing system optimization for new and existing production programs.
• Support the planning and execution of greenfield manufacturing facilities, including factory master planning, space allocation, utility requirements, equipment placement, production flow, and long-term capacity planning.
• Develop manufacturing concepts from initial factory planning through production launch, ensuring scalability, flexibility, and operational efficiency.
• Design and optimize material flow, point-of-use storage, supermarkets, kitting strategies, replenishment systems, tugger routes, and warehouse logistics.
• Develop detailed 2D factory layouts and 3D manufacturing models, including equipment placement, utilities, workstations, safety zones, production support infrastructure, and future expansion plans.
• Perform capacity planning, line balancing, takt time analysis, labor planning, buffer sizing, and bottleneck analysis to achieve production targets.
• Conduct time studies, ergonomic assessments, spaghetti diagrams, and workflow analyses to improve productivity and eliminate waste.
• Develop manufacturing standards for material presentation, packaging, FIFO management, visual controls, workstation design, and factory operating standards.
• Lead cross-functional factory design reviews with Manufacturing Engineering, Production, Facilities, Supply Chain, Quality, EHS, and Program Management.
• Utilize discrete-event simulation tools to model production throughput, identify constraints, validate factory designs, and optimize manufacturing strategies before implementation.
• Support facility construction, equipment installation, tape-outs, utility coordination, commissioning, and production readiness activities during factory launches.
• Drive Lean Manufacturing initiatives including 5S, visual management, standardized work, continuous improvement, and value stream optimization.
• Develop and maintain factory design standards, launch playbooks, production system guidelines, and manufacturing best practices to support future factory expansions and replication.

Tools & Skills

• AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Revit, Visio, or equivalent CAD/layout software
• Siemens Plant Simulation, FlexSim, AnyLogic, or equivalent discrete-event simulation software
• Time studies, MTM/MOST, work measurement, and labor analysis
• Capacity modeling, line balancing, takt planning, and production system design
• Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Value Stream Mapping (VSM), 5S, Kanban, and Visual Management
• Material flow analysis, warehouse and logistics design
• Factory master planning and facility layout development
• Strong analytical, project management, and cross-functional leadership skills

Required qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• 8+ years of experience in industrial engineering, factory design, manufacturing systems, production planning, advanced manufacturing engineering, or greenfield facility development.
• Experience designing factory layouts, production lines, and scalable manufacturing systems for complex products.
• Experience supporting greenfield manufacturing projects, facility expansions, or major production line launches.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes including machining, composites, electrical assemblies, precision mechanical assemblies, and final integration.
• Experience supporting production ramp-up, new product introduction (NPI), and manufacturing process development.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional projects in a fast-paced, high-growth manufacturing environment.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills.

Preferred qualifications:

• Aerospace, defense, automotive, or advanced manufacturing industry experience.
• Experience leading greenfield factory development, factory relocation, or major manufacturing expansion projects.
• Knowledge of AS9100, ISO 9001, or other regulated manufacturing environments.
• Experience with automated material handling systems, robotics, AGVs/AMRs, automated storage systems, or Industry 4.0 technologies.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Black Belt, or equivalent continuous improvement certification.
• Experience with Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), ERP systems, digital factory technologies, and production simulation software.

$150,000 - $230,000 a year

* Compensation for this role is based on the position’s work location. The salary range shown reflects the listed location and may vary if the position is based in a different geographic market. Actual compensation will also consider factors such as experience, skills, qualifications, and internal equity.

Full-time 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.

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.