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Shield AI, a venture-backed defense-tech company, is seeking a Staff or Senior Staff Avionics Engineer, Electrical Systems to lead the design, development, integration, and verification of aircraft electrical systems for a new advanced autonomous aircraft. This is a technical leadership role for an experienced electrical engineer who will own assigned electrical systems from requirements definition and architecture through component selection, detailed design, aircraft integration, ground and flight test, and production support.
You will translate vehicle and avionics requirements into reliable electrical designs spanning power distribution, power conversion, circuit protection, grounding and bonding, wiring, and equipment interfaces. Working closely with Avionics, Mechanical, Systems Engineering, Flight Controls, Propulsion, Manufacturing, and Test teams, you will ensure electrical hardware integrates successfully across the aircraft.
Key responsibilities include:
- Own requirements, architecture, design, and verification of assigned aircraft electrical systems, including power distribution, conversion, protection, switching, grounding, bonding, and electrical interfaces for avionics and vehicle equipment.
- Develop and maintain electrical schematics, interface control documents, equipment specifications, wiring requirements, and electrical load analyses. Evaluate operating modes, power budgets, voltage drop, transient behavior, fault conditions, and design margins to guide component selection and system sizing.
- Lead electrical integration across avionics, sensors, communications, actuation, propulsion interfaces, and supporting aircraft systems. Partner with mechanical and harness engineering teams to define connector selections, pin assignments, routing constraints, shielding, separation, and installation requirements.
- Define and execute verification activities from component testing through aircraft integration, ground testing, and flight test support. Develop test procedures, troubleshoot electrical anomalies, investigate failures, and implement corrective actions.
- Lead technical reviews and supplier coordination for assigned systems, manage interfaces and engineering changes, and support manufacturing and production troubleshooting. Mentor engineers and improve design practices.
Shield AI's products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. The company has offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related technical discipline, with 7+ years of relevant experience developing avionics, aircraft electrical systems, or comparable complex electrical hardware.
- Demonstrated ownership of electrical subsystem development through requirements definition, design, hardware integration, and verification, including experience with aircraft power distribution, power conversion, circuit protection, and equipment interfaces.
- Strong understanding of electrical load analysis, voltage drop, wire and connector sizing, grounding and bonding, shielding, electromagnetic compatibility, and fault isolation. Experience developing electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, interface definitions, and component specifications.
- Practical experience integrating and troubleshooting electrical hardware using oscilloscopes, digital multimeters, programmable power supplies, electronic loads, and related laboratory equipment. Ability to develop test plans and interpret results at component, subsystem, and integrated system levels.
- Demonstrated ability to independently resolve complex technical problems, coordinate across engineering disciplines and suppliers, and communicate design decisions and risks clearly. Experience maintaining requirements traceability, configuration control, and verification documentation.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related technical discipline.
- Experience developing electrical systems for manned aircraft, autonomous aircraft, uncrewed aircraft, advanced aviation platforms, or other flight critical aerospace applications, including ground and flight test support.
- Experience with battery systems, generators, power electronics, redundant power architectures, load shedding, power sequencing, and electrical fault detection and protection strategies.
- Familiarity with applicable aerospace environmental qualification, electrical power quality, electromagnetic compatibility, and airworthiness practices.
- Experience using electrical design tools, along with requirements and configuration management systems. Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance.
