Senior Engineer, Mechanisms (R4890)

About the role

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company developing autonomous UAV products, including the X-BAT aircraft, and its Seattle office is hiring a Senior Mechanism Engineer. You will contribute to the mechanical design and development of autonomous UAV products, helping architect new products, design complex electro-mechanical assemblies and work with partners to prototype, test and release products.

Key responsibilities

• Design complex electro-mechanical mechanisms for autonomous aircraft
• Own the full design process: concept, CAD, tolerance analysis, material selection and drawing release
• Perform structural and kinematic calculations and preliminary FEA
• Prototype, test and iterate mechanism designs for functionality and reliability
• Collaborate with electrical, avionics, flight controls and propulsion teams
• Support pre-production builds, prototype integration and ground/flight testing

Required profile

• B.S. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering
• 5+ years in mechanical or mechanism design
• Ability to work independently in fast-paced, cross-functional teams
• Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance desired

Required skills

• Strong CAD skills (NX preferred)
• Kinematic analysis and optimization
• Structural analysis by hand calculation and finite element methods
• FEA: modal, non-linear and linear, buckling, fatigue
• GD&T and tolerance stack-ups
• Materials selection including alloys, heat treatments, allowables and finishes

Preferred: UAV, aircraft or robotic system experience; familiarity with electro-mechanical actuators; FMEA, DOE and root cause analysis; machine shop or mechanic experience; RTCA DO-160, MIL-STD-810 or actuator testing experience; comfort in startup, R&D or defense innovation environments.