Senior Reliability Engineer, Aircraft Systems

About the role

Shield AI, a defense-tech company, is looking for a Senior Reliability Engineer to lead reliability activities for the development, integration, testing and operation of aircraft systems. The engineer works across disciplines to set reliability requirements, manage reliability budgets, run reliability analyses and drive design improvements that increase aircraft availability and mission success. The role is based in Seattle.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and maintain aircraft-level reliability requirements, objectives and program reliability plans.
• Set up, allocate and manage reliability budgets across systems, subsystems and line-replaceable units.
• Track predicted reliability against targets and identify components or subsystems driving reliability risk.
• Run reliability predictions, FMEA/FMECA, FTA, RBD and Weibull analysis, and support aircraft system safety assessments.
• Maintain MTBF, MTBCF, mission reliability, availability and related metrics.
• Lead or support FRACAS activities and analyze ground-test, flight-test, supplier, maintenance and field data.
• Work with design teams to remove single points of failure and improve fault tolerance, and review supplier analyses.
• Define reliability demonstration and growth-test requirements and support technical reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR).
• Communicate reliability performance, budget status, risks and corrective actions to customers and program leadership, and mentor junior engineers.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in reliability, systems, aerospace, mechanical or electrical engineering (typically 5 years of related experience).
• Direct experience supporting aircraft development, integration, testing, sustainment or operations.
• Experience managing reliability budgets at system, subsystem or equipment level.
• Experience with multidisciplinary engineering teams and suppliers, and ability to obtain and maintain required security clearance.

Required skills

• FMEA/FMECA, FTA, RBD, Weibull analysis, reliability predictions and FRACAS.
• Reliability metrics such as MTBF, MTBCF, failure rate, mission reliability and availability.
• Tools such as ReliaSoft, Windchill Quality Solutions, Isograph or RAM Commander.
• Interpretation of mission profiles, operating environments and test data.

Preferred: military aircraft or defense platform experience, MIL-HDBK-217 familiarity, RCM knowledge, active U.S. security clearance, and certified Reliability Engineer credentials.