Manager, Engineering - Structural Design (R5633)

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide.

About the role

Shield AI is seeking an Aerostructures Design Manager to support the development of structural components for our next-generation autonomous aircraft. As a contributor on the Structures team, you will lead the design and develop high-performance structural components from concept through production release. You’ll work cross-functionally to ensure structural integrity, manufacturability, and system integration across one of the most advanced autonomous aircraft platforms being built today. This role is ideal for an aerospace engineer with significant hands-on design experience with both composite or metallic airframes as well as demonstrated team lead experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of high-performance structural components from concept through production release.
• Work cross-functionally to ensure structural integrity, manufacturability, and system integration.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related discipline.
• 8+ years of experience in aircraft structural design or closely related aerospace structures.
• Experience with team leadership as a project or IPT style team lead.
• Experience designing and releasing structural components in development or production environments.
• Working knowledge of composite and metallic structures, including fasteners, bonded joints, and load paths.
• Proficiency in CAD tools (NX, CATIA, SolidWorks, or similar).
• Understanding of GD&T, tolerance stackups, and DFMA principles.
• Strong written and verbal technical communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to operate in fast-paced, high-ownership engineering environments.

Qualifications

• M.S. degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering.
• Experience supporting UAV, DoD, or aerospace full vehicle programs.
• Familiarity with aerospace standards (MIL-STD, ASME Y14.5, FAA).
• Experience fabricating and testing large scale aerospace structures such as wings, fuselages or similar.
• Demonstrated understanding of composite manufacturing methods.
• Experience using FEA tools (ANSYS, Abaqus, NASTRAN, or similar) for linear structural analysis.

Pay

$150,000 - $230,000 a year

Full-time Regular Employee Offer Package: Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity

Temporary Employee Offer Package: Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)

Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location.