Senior Staff Engineer, Flight Control Actuation Systems - Ranger (R6327)
About The Position
Shield AI is hiring a Senior Staff Engineer to take full technical ownership of flight control actuation system design for its Group 5 UAV fighter aircraft, Ranger. The engineer will define system requirements, resolve actuator and integration trades, and guide qualified flight-control actuation hardware from design through production support. The role calls for technical rigor, rapid decision-making, hands-on engineering, and the ability to transition concepts into operational capability in an accelerated aircraft development environment. The engineer will work across flight controls, vehicle management systems, electrical power systems, hydraulic systems, thermal management, and structures. Responsibilities include actuator sizing and dynamic analysis, control-law interface integration, power and thermal architecture, structural-load coordination, qualification testing, and leading design-maturity and qualification-status reviews.
Requirements
- 8 to 15 years of experience in flight control actuation system design on fixed-wing aircraft.
- B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
- Proven track record sourcing COTS or custom aerospace components, driving suppliers to schedule, and assembling benchtop or vehicle-level test setups.
- Ability to self-direct, prioritize technical tasks without oversight, and deliver functional hardware under tight timelines.
- Demonstrated experience analyzing actuator dynamic performance, including bandwidth, response, stability margins, failure modes, and 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 a DoD or fighter-class aircraft program.
Nice To Haves
- Prior fighter or fighter-adjacent program experience, manned or unmanned.
- Unmanned or autonomous flight-control experience, including understanding redundancy-philosophy differences from manned aircraft.
- Experience with EMA or EHA control-surface actuators.
- Eligible for a Secret clearance.
Responsibilities
- Define, allocate, and own flight control actuation system (FCAS) requirements and the verification traceability matrix.
- Design and analyze control-surface actuation systems, including sizing, dynamic response, bandwidth, redundancy, and failure modes.
- Drive the control-law and actuator interface with Flight Controls and Vehicle Management Systems, including actuator-dynamics modeling and control-surface authority requirements.
- Coordinate actuator power-source architecture and load analysis with electrical power systems and hydraulic systems leads.
- Resolve actuator heat-generation and local thermal-load interfaces with thermal management.
- Coordinate control-surface hinge moments and actuator reaction loads with structures.
- Define and execute FCAS qualification test plans in accordance with MIL-HDBK-516 and MIL-STD-810, using test results to mature qualified flight-control actuation hardware.
- Lead FCAS design-maturity and qualification-status reviews at SRR, PDR, and CDR.
- Source COTS and custom aerospace components, drive suppliers to schedule, and assemble benchtop or vehicle-level test setups.
- Deliver functional hardware under tight timelines and support hardware through production.
Benefits
- Bonus
- Benefits
- Equity
- Temporary benefits package for temporary employees, applicable after 60 days of employment
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
