Senior Staff Engineer – Flight Control Actuation Systems

About the role

Shield AI is a venture‑backed defense‑tech company developing autonomous aircraft and simulation technologies. As a Senior Staff Engineer you will own the design of flight‑control actuation systems for a Group 5 UAV fighter, driving concepts from first‑principles through production support.

Key responsibilities

• Define and own FCAS requirements, verification traceability and system architecture.
• Design and analyze actuator sizing, dynamic response, bandwidth, redundancy and failure modes.
• Integrate control‑law and actuator dynamics with Flight Controls and Vehicle Management Systems.
• Develop power source architecture, perform load analysis and resolve thermal‑management interfaces.
• Coordinate structural integration of hinge moments and reaction loads.
• Define and execute qualification test plans per MIL‑HDBK‑516 and MIL‑STD‑810, and lead design‑maturity reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR).

Required profile

• U.S. citizen with active Secret clearance or higher.
• 8‑15 years of flight‑control actuation system design experience on fixed‑wing aircraft.
• B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical, Aerospace or related engineering discipline.
• Proven track record sourcing COTS/custom aerospace components and managing supplier schedules.
• Ability to self‑direct, prioritize tasks and deliver hardware under tight timelines.
• Experience with actuator dynamic performance, stability margins, failure‑mode and redundancy analysis.
• Familiarity with MIL‑HDBK‑516, MIL‑STD‑810 and supporting SRR/PDR/CDR reviews on DoD or fighter‑class programs.

Required skills

• Flight‑control actuation system design.
• Actuator performance and dynamic analysis.
• Control‑law and actuator interface modeling.
• Power‑source and thermal‑management integration.
• Structural load coordination for control surfaces.
• Qualification testing per MIL‑HDBK‑516 and MIL‑STD‑810.
• COTS/custom aerospace component sourcing and supplier management.