Senior Manager, Aerostructures Design – X-BAT

About the role

Shield AI is seeking a senior leader to head the aerostructures design organization for its X‑BAT autonomous aircraft program. The role focuses on delivering lightweight, survivable structures that enable combat‑ready, runway‑independent missions.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the aerostructures design team and define engineering processes, design standards, and configuration management.
• Develop lightweight, manufacturable, and survivable aircraft structures optimized for autonomous combat operations.
• Partner with flight sciences, propulsion, avionics, manufacturing, autonomy, flight test, and supply‑chain teams to deliver integrated solutions.
• Oversee composite and metallic airframe development, including primary load‑bearing assemblies.
• Mentor and scale a high‑performing engineering team and support transition to scalable production.
• Drive root‑cause analysis and corrective actions for structural, manufacturing, and flight‑test findings.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 12+ years of aerospace structural engineering experience with leadership on advanced aircraft programs.
• Proven ability to lead teams through full aircraft development cycles from concept to production.
• Experience collaborating across highly integrated aerospace organizations and operating in fast‑paced environments.
• Eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.

Required skills

• Composite and metallic airframe design.
• Structural analysis, stress and fatigue assessment.
• Aircraft load analysis and durability evaluation.