Staff Engineer, Actuated Systems - Ranger (R6347)

About the role

Shield AI, a defense-tech company developing aircraft and autonomy software, is hiring a Staff (L4) Actuated Systems Engineer in Seattle. You will take hands-on technical ownership of the mechanical design, layout and integration of actuation systems for flight control surfaces, bay doors and other airframe mechanisms on a Group 5 UAV fighter aircraft. The work applies first-principles engineering to buildable actuator installations and mature mechanism layouts, moving concepts through release, test and vehicle integration.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and mature actuator, linkage, bracket and mounting layouts within vehicle packaging constraints.
• Own detailed CAD design of actuated systems hardware from concept through drawing release, including load paths, materials, interfaces, GD&T and tolerance stack-ups.
• Perform actuator sizing, kinematic layout and installation analysis for flight control surfaces and bay doors.
• Carry out hand calculations and basic FEA to substantiate brackets, mounts and linkages.
• Define and resolve interfaces with structures, EWIS, EPS, thermal management and adjacent systems, including routing, clearances and maintainability.
• Maintain CAD models, drawings, interface definitions and design data packages to program standards for SRR, PDR and CDR.
• Support component selection, technical specifications, supplier execution, prototype assembly and test-fixture development.
• Run qualification tests per MIL-STD-810 and support MIL-HDBK-516 airworthiness certification.

Required profile

• 5 to 12 years of mechanical systems design experience in aerospace or a comparable regulated industry, with hands-on design of actuated mechanisms or aircraft installations.
• B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering or a related technical discipline.
• Deep mastery of mechanical design, kinematics, load paths, materials selection, GD&T and tolerance stack-up.
• Proven ability to source COTS or custom aerospace components, drive suppliers to schedule and assemble benchtop or vehicle-level test setups.
• Ability to self-direct and deliver functional hardware under tight timelines; clearance eligible.

Required skills

• Closed-form hand calculations and basic FEA for mechanisms and structural components.
• Extensive 3D CAD modeling and drawing release with Siemens NX, CATIA, Creo or equivalent PLM workflows.
• Preferred: flight control actuation, weapons bay door or landing gear design; electro-mechanical or electro-hydrostatic actuation; MIL-HDBK-516 and MIL-STD-810 familiarity; machine shop, fabrication or prototype-build experience.