Senior Engineer, Aerospace - Ranger (R6545)

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 Descrpition:

The Flight Sciences team at Shield AI integrates stability and control, aerodynamics, performance, and aeropropulsion to redefine the limits of unmanned aviation. As a Stability and Control focused engineer on this team, you will define how our aircraft trim, maneuver, and respond across the flight envelope, connecting configuration design, aerodynamic modeling, control law development, and flight test. Your analyses will directly shape control surface sizing, flight envelope limits, and the flying qualities of autonomous aircraft. If you thrive in high tempo, collaborative environments where your work moves quickly from concept to reality, we want you on our team.

What you'll do:

• Own Stability and Control Analysis: Evaluate static and dynamic stability, trim, control power, and flying qualities across the flight envelope, including high angle of attack, departure resistance, and failure state conditions.
• Develop High Fidelity 6DOF Models: Synthesize wind tunnel, CFD, and flight test data into aerodynamic and stability and control databases, including control effectiveness, propulsion effects, hinge moments, and flexibility effects, for use in simulation, control law design, and flight clearance.
• Shape Configuration and Control Suite Design: Define control surface sizing, control allocation requirements, center of gravity limits, and actuator rate and hinge moment requirements in partnership with controls, structures, and avionics teams.
• Drive Wind Tunnel and Flight Test Campaigns: Define stability and control test requirements, develop run plans and flight test maneuvers, and apply parameter identification methods to correlate and update aerodynamic models.
• Support Air Data and Flight Clearance: Partner with cross disciplinary teams to define air data requirements that support stability and control needs, and deliver the analyses that establish safe flight envelopes and support stores separation and envelope expansion.

Required qualifications:

• Education: B.S. in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering, or an equivalent technical field.
• Core Expertise: 3 or more years of experience in stability and control, with strong knowledge of flight dynamics, 6DOF model development, trim and linearization, and flying qualities analysis.
• Testing Background: Proven experience in wind tunnel or flight testing and translating experimental data into aerodynamic databases and simulation environments.
• Character: A demonstrated record of working hard, being a trustworthy teammate, holding yourself and others to a high standard, and being kind to others.

Preferred qualifications:

• Computational Efficiency: Proficiency in developing custom software or scripting in MATLAB, Simulink, or Python to automate analysis and maximize team throughput.
• Unconventional Configurations: Experience optimizing aircraft planforms and control suites for adequate stability and maneuverability, particularly for tailless aircraft or other nontraditional configurations.
• Flying Qualities and Flight Test: Familiarity with flying qualities criteria such as MIL STD 1797, system identification, and flight test data analysis for envelope expansion.
• Problem Solving: A proven ability to take on complex, ill defined assignments and deliver creative, best value engineering solutions.

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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.