Staff Engineer, Propulsion - Mechanical Design (R5389)

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:

We are looking for a Staff Mechanical Design & Analysis Engineer to join the V-BAT propulsion engineering team. This role is for an engineer who can own mechanical design from concept through production release, while also performing the mechanical analysis required to prove that the design works.

You will design propulsion system components and subsystems, analyze them for strength, stiffness, fatigue, vibration, thermal behavior, manufacturability, and reliability, then drive those designs through prototyping, test, release, and production cut-in.

This is not a pure analysis role and not a pure CAD role. The right candidate is a hands-on mechanical engineer who can create excellent hardware, justify design decisions with sound engineering analysis, and own the details required to get flight-critical propulsion hardware into production.

What you'll do:

• Design propulsion system components and subsystems for V-BAT, including:
• Fuel and oil delivery hardware
• Two-stroke engine components and supporting hardware
• Engine thermal-control components
• Propeller and ducted-fan-adjacent mechanical hardware
• Mounts, brackets, housings, retention features, tubing supports, and related propulsion hardware
• Perform mechanical analysis to guide and validate your designs, including:
• Static strength and stiffness analysis
• Hand calculations and fundamental sizing
• Finite element analysis where appropriate
• Fatigue and durability assessment
• Vibration and modal analysis
• Bolted-joint, bearing, shaft, bracket, and mount analysis
• Thermal growth, clearance, and tolerance-stack analysis
• Basic thermal/structural coupling where needed
• Own mechanical design trades between mass, stiffness, strength, cost, manufacturability, serviceability, and reliability.
• Create and maintain high-quality CAD models and drawing packages for propulsion components and assemblies.
• Route and retain wire harnesses, fuel lines, oil lines, cooling lines, and other propulsion-adjacent tubing or fluid systems.
• Own engineering change orders, or ECOs, for your components from problem definition through release.
• Support configuration management for the propulsion system, including accurate documentation of released hardware, prototype configurations, and production cut-ins.
• Coordinate design releases with manufacturing, quality, supply chain, flight test, program management, and other engineering teams.
• Own and execute verification and validation test campaigns for your hardware
• Analyze test data from ground and flight testing to determine whether components are meeting structural, thermal, vibration, durability, and reliability requirements.
• Work closely with electrical, mechanical, aero-performance, software, manufacturing, and flight-test engineers to ensure your designs integrate cleanly into the full aircraft.
• Investigate failures, nonconformances, production escapes, and field issues, then drive corrective actions through design updates, process changes, or test improvements.

Required qualifications:

• B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering.
• 5+ years of professional mechanical design experience.
• Strong proficiency with 3D CAD modeling and detailed mechanical design.
• Experience developing production-ready engineering drawings and documentation.
• Understanding of GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing) and manufacturing processes.
• Experience owning components through the full product lifecycle from concept through production.
• Experience supporting prototype builds, testing, and design iteration.
• Strong cross-functional communication and project coordination skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced hardware development environment.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience in aerospace, aviation, defense, motorsports, or other high-performance mechanical systems.
• Proficiency with Siemens NX.
• Experience designing engine, propulsion, fuel, lubrication, thermal management, or rotating machinery systems.
• Experience with wire harness routing, tubing design, and aircraft integration.
• Familiarity with configuration management and engineering change processes.
• Experience supporting flight test programs or airborne hardware development.
• Knowledge of composites, sheet metal, machined components, castings, and additive manufacturing.
• Experience with environmental, durability, vibration, and qualification testing.
• Familiarity with FAA, military, or aerospace development practices.

#LD
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. 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 to equal 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.