Vibration Test Engineer - Aerospace/Defense, Equity

Lever, Inc.; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 112,000 - 169,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI is seeking a hands-on Vibration Test Engineer to validate intelligent autonomous systems through rigorous dynamic testing.

You will lead vibration test programs, instrument test setups, and perform modal analyses to validate structural models. Collaboration with Mechanical Design, Analysis, Flight Test, and Manufacturing is essential to improve hardware performance throughout the product lifecycle.

Qualifications

• BS in Mechanical, Aerospace, Structural Eng or related field.
• Hands-on vibration testing experience in hardware projects.
• Experience with electrodynamic shaker systems and vibration control software.
• Experience with accelerometers, signal conditioning, data acquisition, and dynamic instrumentation.
• Working knowledge of structural dynamics, vibration theory, and modal analysis.
• Familiarity with MIL-STD-810 vibration/shock or aerospace standards.
• Ability to interpret vibration data and identify resonances and failure modes.
• Strong communication skills and ability to work with cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead planning, execution, and analysis of vibration test programs for development and qualification.
• Design and deploy instrumented test setups for vibration, modal, structural, and environmental testing.
• Perform shaker table testing including sine sweep, random vibration, sine-on-random, resonance search, and shock testing.
• Conduct experimental modal analysis to validate FE models and characterize dynamics.
• Develop fixtures and test methods that replicate loading while minimizing fixture influence.
• Instrument hardware with accelerometers, strain gauges, and other sensors.
• Analyze data to identify resonances, mode shapes, damping, and potential failures.
• Collaborate with design engineers to correlate tests with analytical models.
• Investigate vibration issues, perform root cause analysis, and propose improvements.
• Create test plans, procedures, reports, and presentations to communicate results.

Skills

Vibration testing

Structural dynamics

Experimental modal analysis

Data analysis

Technical communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering

Bachelor's degree in Structural Engineering

MS or PhD in Mechanical/Aerospace/Structural Engineering (preferred)

Tools

Data Physics

HBK / Brüel & Kjær

Crystal Instruments

m+p International

LMS/Simcenter Testlab

ANSYS

Abaqus

Nastran

NX

Job description

Shield AI is seeking a hands-on Vibration Test Engineer to validate intelligent autonomous systems through rigorous dynamic testing.

You will lead vibration test programs, instrument test setups, and perform modal analyses to validate structural models. Collaboration with Mechanical Design, Analysis, Flight Test, and Manufacturing is essential to improve hardware performance throughout the product lifecycle.