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Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company developing autonomous systems and unmanned aircraft for military operations. This Staff/Senior Staff Engineer role (L4/L5) offers full technical ownership of flight control actuation system (FCAS) design for a Group 5 UAV fighter aircraft.
You will own the complete FCAS lifecycle from requirements definition through production support. Key responsibilities include:
• Define and maintain FCAS requirements and verification traceability matrices
• Design and analyze control surface actuation systems, including sizing, dynamic response, bandwidth, redundancy, and failure-mode analysis
• Drive the control-law-to-actuator interface with Flight Controls and Vehicle Management Systems teams, including actuator dynamics modeling
• Architect actuator power-source systems and conduct load analysis with electrical power and hydraulic systems leads
• Resolve thermal integration challenges between actuators and thermal management systems
• Coordinate control-surface hinge moments and actuator reaction loads with structures engineering
• Define and execute FCAS qualification test plans per MIL-HDBK-516 and MIL-STD-810
• Lead design-maturity and qualification-status reviews at SRR, PDR, and CDR
This role demands technical rigor, rapid decision-making, and hands-on engineering in an accelerated aircraft development environment. You will balance complex problem-solving with the ability to move concepts into operational capability quickly.
REQUIREMENTS:
• US Citizenship required; must have an active Secret clearance or higher
• 8–15 years of flight control actuation system design experience on fixed-wing aircraft
• B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related technical discipline
• Proven track record sourcing COTS and custom aerospace components, driving suppliers to schedule, and assembling benchtop or vehicle-level test setups
• Demonstrated ability to self-direct, prioritize technical tasks without oversight, and deliver functional hardware under tight timelines
• Experience with actuator dynamic performance analysis (bandwidth, response, stability margins, failure modes, redundancy)
• Experience coordinating with flight controls and VMS engineers on actuator-control law integration
• Familiarity with MIL-HDBK-516 and MIL-STD-810 as applied to flight control actuation
• Experience supporting SRR, PDR, and CDR on DoD or fighter-class aircraft programs
PREFERRED:
• Prior fighter or fighter-adjacent program experience (manned or unmanned)
• Unmanned or autonomous flight control experience, including redundancy philosophy differences from manned aircraft
• Experience with EMA or EHA control surface actuators
