Deputy Chief Engineer, X-BAT Autonomous Aircraft

About the role

Shield AI is hiring a Deputy Chief Engineer for its X-BAT program, a new class of autonomous combat aircraft. The role reports to the Air Vehicle Lead / Chief Engineer and acts as their primary technical deputy across design, development, integration, test and maturation. It sits in the X-BAT Engineering team in Seattle.

Key responsibilities

• Serve as the primary technical deputy to the Air Vehicle Lead, translating program objectives into engineering priorities.
• Maintain the air vehicle's technical baseline: system requirements, architecture, interfaces, configuration, performance, verification and airworthiness evidence.
• Lead day-to-day integration of engineering across aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, mechanical systems, avionics, electrical systems, flight controls, software, autonomy, manufacturing and test.
• Drive aircraft-level technical decisions and trade studies based on first-principles analysis, considering performance, safety, cost, schedule, producibility and operations.
• Run a disciplined technical-risk process with early identification, accountable owners, mitigation plans and risk retirement.
• Lead major technical and design reviews so the aircraft can progress through fabrication, ground test, flight test, qualification and production.
• Partner with Program Management, Manufacturing and Supply Chain, and Test and Flight Operations on scope, producibility, verification strategies and test readiness.
• Lead root-cause investigations and corrective actions, document engineering changes in the controlled baseline, and develop the technical leadership of engineering managers and leads.
• Communicate aircraft status, risks and recovery plans to program leadership, executives, customers and partners.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical or Systems Engineering or a related discipline.
• 12+ years of progressive experience developing complex aircraft, military aerospace systems, autonomous aircraft or similar integrated aerospace products.
• Demonstrated technical leadership on an aircraft-development program, preferably as Chief Engineer, Deputy Chief Engineer, Air Vehicle Lead, Systems or Integrated Product Team Lead.
• Experience taking an aircraft through requirements, design, fabrication, integration, ground test, flight test, qualification or production.
• Experience managing system requirements, technical baselines, interface definitions, design reviews, verification plans and engineering risks.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.

Preferred qualifications

• Master's degree in Aerospace, Systems, Engineering Management or a related discipline.
• Clean-sheet military aircraft, collaborative combat aircraft, UAS, advanced VTOL or propulsion, flight controls, autonomy and weapons integration experience.
• Familiarity with military airworthiness, verification and validation, configuration management and model-based systems engineering.
• Experience with DoD customers, suppliers and partners, and in a high-growth aerospace organization.