Senior Aerospace Engineer

Shield AI•Dallas, TX

1d•$115,000 - $150,000

About The Position

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 AIâ€™s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube. We are seeking an Aerospace Engineer to own the flight performance, endurance, and mass properties for V-BAT. In this role, you will serve as the technical authority on aircraft performanceâ€”translating flight dynamics, aircraft configuration, and environmental conditions into validated models that guide design decisions, payload integration, and autonomous flight software. You will work at the intersection of design, propulsion, guidance and controls, flight test, and go-to-market teams to continuously improve the capability and reliability of the aircraft.

Requirements

B.S. in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering (or equivalent technical field).
3+ years of experience in the aerospace or defense industry.
Demonstrated understanding of fixed-wing flight dynamics, aircraft performance, and aerodynamic/propulsion fundamentals.
Proficiency in analyzing large data sets to define operational envelope requirements and validate models (e.g., Python, MATLAB, or equivalent).
Experience developing or maintaining aircraft weight and CG models.
Demonstrated ability to work with cross-functional teams to drive change.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present technical findings to varied audiences.

Nice To Haves

Full lifecycle experience taking a product from concept through development, flight test, and field sustainment.
Direct experience with fixed-wing unmanned aerial systems (UAS/UAV) or autonomous aircraft.
Experience building or tuning aero and engine models used by guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) systems.
Hands-on flight test experience, including test planning, instrumentation, and data reduction.
Familiarity with fixed-wing modeling and simulation tools (e.g., MATLAB/Simulink, XFLR5, AVL, or comparable aerodynamic/performance tools).
Understanding of relevant airworthiness, safety, or defense acquisition standards.

Responsibilities

Develop and refine endurance, range, loiter, and cruise performance calculations based on flight dynamics, aircraft configuration, and operating environment (altitude, temperature, wind, and mission profile).
Own the aircraft weight and center-of-gravity (CG) model, including tracking, allocation budgets, and reporting throughout design changes and configuration updates, ensuring CG remains within stable flight limits.
Create, validate, and maintain the aerodynamic (lift, drag, and stability) and propulsion (engine) models of the aircraft for use by the Guidance and Controls team, supporting continuous improvement of the flight computer and autonomy stack.
Partner with Mechanical and Propulsion Design engineers to assess the weight, drag, and aerodynamic performance impacts of proposed design changes to the airframe, wing, and control surfaces.
Collaborate with Go-To-Market teams to evaluate new payloads and estimate endurance and performance for new or customer-specific configurations.
Plan and drive flight test campaigns to validate operational envelopes, correlate aero/engine models against flight data, and characterize real-world aircraft performance across the flight envelope.
Participate in root cause analysis (RCA) of performance anomalies and test findings, and drive corrective actions to closure.
Analyze large flight and test data sets to establish and refine operational envelope requirements and performance specifications.