Staff Engineer, Fuel Systems (R5900)

About the role

Shield AI is seeking a highly motivated Staff Fuel System Engineer to support the design, development, integration, and fielding of a next‑generation autonomous aircraft system. The role balances technical rigor, rapid decision‑making, and hands‑on engineering to transition concepts into operational capability. The engineer will serve as the Responsible Engineer (RE) for the aircraft fuel system, owning technical execution from requirements and architecture through design, procurement, integration, build, test, flight, and operational support.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the Responsible Engineer for the aircraft fuel system, owning requirements, architecture, interfaces, hardware, and technical decisions from concept through operational deployment.
• Design, size, and integrate fuel tanks, pumps, valves, plumbing, venting and pressurization systems, filtration, level sensing, and associated fuel system hardware.
• Analyze fuel system performance across the aircraft operating envelope, including pressure and flow requirements, transient engine demand, elevated‑G maneuvering, tank depletion, slosh, vapor pressure, cavitation, vapor ingestion, and thermal effects.
• Lead technical design reviews, supplier engagements, and hardware procurement while ensuring the fuel system meets performance, mass, thermal, reliability, safety, and mission requirements.
• Plan and execute component, subsystem, and vehicle‑level testing, including instrumentation, procedures, data acquisition, performance validation, and flight readiness.
• Analyze ground and flight data to validate system performance, quantify margin, identify anomalies, and drive hardware or operational improvements.
• Lead failure investigations and root‑cause efforts using analysis, inspection, testing, and data to develop effective corrective actions.
• Work hands‑on with design engineers, technicians, propulsion, controls, airframe, manufacturing, supply chain, test, and flight teams to build, integrate, troubleshoot, and iterate flight hardware.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• 7+ years of experience in aerospace fuel systems, fluid systems, propulsion, or related aircraft system development, with demonstrated ownership of complex aerospace hardware.
• Strong understanding of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and compressible and incompressible flow.
• Strong understanding of aerospace fuel system design, including pressure losses, pump performance, venting, vapor pressure, cavitation, transient flow behavior, and thermal effects.
• Hands‑on experience with fluid system hardware integration, instrumentation, testing, flight support, and technical failure investigations.
• Strong proficiency in Python or similar tools for engineering analysis, data reduction, and model correlation.
• Demonstrated ability to independently drive ambiguous technical problems to measurable results in a fast‑paced development environment.
• U.S. Citizenship and active security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing fuel systems for high‑performance aircraft, tactical aircraft, UAVs, or similar aerospace platforms.
• Experience designing fuel systems for elevated‑G maneuvering, aggressive vehicle dynamics, or challenging fuel delivery conditions.
• Experience with fuel tanks, pumps, valves, regulators, level sensing, venting, pressurization, and fuel system control hardware.
• Familiarity with GFSSP, REFPROP, CFD, ANSYS, FEA, or similar thermal‑fluid analysis tools.
• Experience working with aerospace suppliers through component selection, procurement, development, qualification, and integration.
• Background in rocket propulsion or propellant systems with transferable experience to aerospace fuel system design, analysis, integration, or test.
• M.S. or Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.

Compensation

Salary range: $175,000 – $263,000 per year.

Full‑time regular employee offer includes pay within the listed range, bonus, benefits, and equity. Temporary employee offer includes pay within the range plus a temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment). Salary compensation is influenced by factors such as skill set, experience, licenses, certifications, and work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check.

Benefits

• Bonus
• Comprehensive benefits package
• Equity participation
• Temporary benefits after 60 days for temporary employees