Staff Supplier Development Engineer - Structures & Welding (R5984)

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:

What you'll do:

• Lead the technical development and performance improvement of suppliers supporting welded assemblies, large metallic structures, sheet metal components, and complex structural assemblies.
• Assess supplier capabilities across welding, sheet metal forming, structural fabrication, machining, assembly, tooling, inspection, and special processes.
• Conduct supplier capability assessments, manufacturing readiness reviews, process audits, capacity analyses, and onsite technical evaluations.
• Partner with Strategic Sourcing and Engineering to evaluate and select suppliers capable of meeting technical, quality, cost, schedule, and production-rate requirements.
• Serve as the primary technical interface between suppliers and internal Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Program teams.
• Lead supplier industrialization activities, including manufacturing planning, tooling and fixture readiness, process validation, capacity planning, qualification, and production ramp-up.
• Review engineering drawings, specifications, GD&T, bills of material, weld symbols, material requirements, special-process requirements, and statements of work.
• Evaluate supplier welding capabilities, including welding equipment, personnel qualifications, weld procedures, process controls, inspection methods, and compliance with applicable aerospace welding standards.
• Review welding procedure specifications, procedure qualification records, welder certifications, and nondestructive inspection requirements.
• Work with suppliers to control weld distortion, residual stress, dimensional variation, heat-affected zones, joint fit-up, and other risks associated with large welded structures.
• Evaluate sheet metal forming processes such as brake forming, roll forming, stretch forming, hydroforming, stamping, and complex contour forming.
• Assess supplier tooling strategies for large structures and sheet metal components, including weld fixtures, assembly jigs, forming tools, trim tools, and inspection fixtures.
• Drive design-for-manufacturability and design-for-assembly discussions to improve joint design, tooling access, weld accessibility, dimensional control, producibility, cost, and lead time.
• Lead technical problem-solving involving weld defects, forming defects, springback, distortion, dimensional nonconformances, tooling issues, material variability, and assembly fit-up.
• Develop and manage supplier technical development plans, production readiness plans, capacity recovery plans, and corrective-action plans.
• Apply structured root-cause and corrective-action methods, including 8D, 5-Why, fishbone analysis, fault-tree analysis, and other appropriate problem-solving tools.
• Review and approve supplier manufacturing documentation, including process flow diagrams, manufacturing plans, weld plans, inspection plans, control plans, PFMEAs, work instructions, and qualification documentation.
• Coordinate First Article Inspection activities in accordance with AS9102 and support the resolution of FAI discrepancies and manufacturing nonconformances.
• Evaluate supplier production capacity using cycle times, yield, equipment availability, skilled labor, tooling, floor space, material flow, and inspection capacity.
• Support suppliers through engineering changes, new product introductions, prototype builds, qualification activities, and production-rate increases.
• Develop measurable improvement plans for suppliers experiencing delivery, quality, capacity, or technical performance issues.
• Lead onsite supplier recovery efforts and communicate progress, technical risks, and corrective actions to program and executive leadership.
• Monitor supplier performance trends to identify recurring issues, systemic risks, and opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Support alternate-source development and risk-mitigation strategies for sole-source, long-lead, and flight-critical structural components.
• Work with suppliers to implement lean manufacturing, process controls, mistake-proofing, yield improvement, cycle-time reduction, and production-flow improvements.
• Ensure suppliers comply with applicable AS9100, AS9102, engineering, configuration-control, special-process, and customer requirements.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to less-experienced Supplier Development, Supplier Quality, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain team members.
• Travel regularly to supplier locations to conduct assessments, resolve technical issues, and support production readiness and recovery activities.

Required qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Welding Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 7+ years of experience in supplier development, manufacturing engineering, welding engineering, supplier quality engineering, or a related technical role within aerospace, defense, or another highly regulated manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated experience developing suppliers and resolving complex manufacturing, quality, capacity, or delivery issues.
• Technical experience with one or more of the following commodity or process areas:
• Large metallic airframe structures
• Welded structural assemblies
• Sheet metal components and assemblies
• Sheet metal forming and fabrication
• Structural frames, supports, mounts, and enclosures
• Complex mechanical and structural assemblies
• Precision-machined structural components
• Tooling, fixtures, and assembly jigs
• Aerospace welding and special processes
• Strong working knowledge of welding processes such as GTAW/TIG, GMAW/MIG, resistance welding, laser welding, or electron-beam welding.
• Knowledge of sheet metal manufacturing processes, including cutting, bending, forming, rolling, trimming, drilling, fastening, and structural assembly.
• Experience evaluating welding procedures, welder qualifications, joint preparation, filler materials, shielding requirements, heat input, distortion control, and weld inspection methods.
• Ability to read and interpret complex engineering drawings, GD&T, weld symbols, bills of material, material specifications, and manufacturing requirements.
• Experience assessing tooling and fixture concepts for welding, sheet metal forming, large-structure assembly, and dimensional inspection.
• Experience conducting manufacturing process audits, supplier capability assessments, capacity analyses, and production readiness reviews.
• Experience with First Article Inspection requirements and AS9102 documentation.
• Working knowledge of AS9100 quality management systems and aerospace supplier qualification requirements.
• Experience applying structured root-cause analysis and corrective-action methodologies, including 8D, 5-Why, and fishbone analysis.
• Knowledge of PFMEA, control plans, process capability, statistical process control, measurement systems, and inspection methods.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional technical teams and supplier improvement initiatives with limited oversight.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to make data-driven technical decisions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical risks and recovery plans to suppliers and senior leadership.
• Ability to manage multiple supplier development projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to travel to domestic and international supplier facilities as required.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance.

Preferred qualifications:

• Active U.S. government SECRET security clearance at the time of hire.
• Experience supporting aircraft, unmanned aircraft systems, advanced aerospace platforms, or defense programs.
• Direct supplier development experience involving large welded airframe structures, sheet metal assemblies, engine mounts, structural frames, or other flight-critical hardware.
• Experience supporting the industrialization and production ramp-up of newly designed aerospace structures and assemblies.
• Working knowledge of aerospace welding standards and specifications, including AWS D17.1 or comparable requirements.
• Experience reviewing welding procedure specifications, procedure qualification records, welder certifications, and weld inspection documentation.
• Experience with aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, nickel alloys, and other aerospace-grade materials.
• Experience resolving weld cracking, porosity, lack of fusion, distortion, springback, dimensional variation, and assembly fit-up issues.
• Knowledge of nondestructive testing methods such as radiographic, ultrasonic, dye-penetrant, magnetic-particle, and visual inspection.
• Experience with large-scale tooling, weld fixtures, forming dies, assembly jigs, laser tracking, CMM inspection, and dimensional control.
• Experience leading supplier recovery efforts involving critical delivery, capacity, manufacturing, or quality issues.
• Experience with lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, value-stream mapping, process capability analysis, and production-flow optimization.
• Familiarity with NADCAP-controlled processes, including welding, heat treatment, nondestructive testing, coatings, and chemical processing.
• Familiarity with FAR, DFARS, ITAR, export compliance, and government contracting requirements.
• Experience working in both prototype and production environments with aggressive schedule and production-rate requirements.
• ASQ Certified Quality Engineer, Certified Welding Inspector, Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt, or another relevant professional certification.

#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.

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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.