Senior Field Services Engineer (R6380)

Shield AI•San Diego, CA

9d•$84,000 - $127,000

About The Position

Shield AI is hiring a Senior Field Services Engineer to support demonstrations, flight tests, operational evaluations, and customer events involving Group 1/2 unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The role coordinates flight operations, equipment staging, transportation, logistics, site support, and field execution to ensure personnel, aircraft, payloads, communications, ground control systems, and other supporting equipment are prepared and available as needed. The position serves as a demonstration and flight-test operator and subject-matter expert for Group 1/2 UAS and their operational use. It engages operators, customers, and mission stakeholders to understand mission requirements and constraints; develops tactics, techniques, procedures, and concepts of operations aligned with customer mission-essential tasks; and supports operator familiarization, training, and documentation. Working closely with software, systems, and flight-test teams, the engineer supports the integration, validation, and operational assessment of autonomy capabilities in laboratory, ground, and flight environments. The role brings operational realism and a mission-user perspective to capability development, testing, and field deployment, and translates field observations and customer feedback into recommendations for engineering and program teams.

Requirements

At least 4 years of experience operating and maintaining Group 1/2 UAS platforms, with a strong background working with domestic and foreign military units.
Strong knowledge of commercial off-the-shelf UAS hardware, autopilot systems, ground control stations, communications systems, and payload integration.
Ability to engage customer UAS and ground operators on mission requirements.
Clear understanding of customer mission-essential tasks and concepts of operations (CONOPS).
Experience developing, implementing, and executing standard operating procedures, checklists, and operational processes.
Working knowledge of FAA regulations, National Airspace System operations, airspace coordination, and flight authorization requirements.
Experience conducting flight operations in dynamic and complex test environments.
Strong understanding of mission planning, operational employment, logistics, and field coordination.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to brief large groups.
Ability to convert qualitative user feedback into structured requirements or recommendations.
Ability to coordinate effectively with software, systems, safety, and flight-operations personnel.
FAA Part 107 certification or equivalent UAS operational experience.
Ability to obtain and maintain a SECRET clearance; U.S. citizenship is required.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting C2 operations, tactical communications, aviation or maritime operations, and operational test and evaluation events.
Experience supporting autonomy, AI-enabled systems, or developmental flight-test programs, particularly multi-aircraft or distributed UAS operations.
Experience in training delivery, sustainment planning, and range or event support.
Familiarity with control and autopilot elements such as QGC, Mission Planner, ArduPilot, and PX4.
U.S. military or government-agency UAS operations experience.

Responsibilities

Work with test and business development teams on product capabilities and customer requirements.
Bridge autonomy-system development, testing, and field employment by providing operational realism, mission-user perspective, logistics coordination, and deployment-readiness expertise.
Develop representative mission scenarios and assess operational effectiveness, usability, suitability, supportability, and field readiness.
Translate mission needs into test objectives, measures, and evaluation criteria that complement engineering and flight-test assessments.
Operate flight-test platforms for daily fly-fix-fly verification activities.
Serve as a primary operator for Group 1/2 UAS platforms during operational testing and demonstrations.
Capture field observations, operational lessons, customer feedback, and sustainment needs, and turn them into recommendations for engineering and program teams.
Configure, inspect, maintain, and troubleshoot aircraft, payloads, autopilot systems, and ground control stations.
Coordinate aircraft readiness, pre-flight inspections, launch and recovery operations, and post-flight maintenance.
Execute operational test procedures and mission plans in compliance with safety and operational requirements.
Support the development, refinement, and enforcement of standard operating procedures, checklists, and operational best practices for demonstrations and testing.
Ensure compliance with FAA regulations, airspace requirements, range procedures, and company flight-operations standards.
Assist with flight planning, airspace coordination, mission scheduling, and operational risk assessments.