Staff Engineer, Actuated Systems - Ranger (R6347)

Shield AI•Seattle, WA

About The Position

Shield AI is hiring a Staff (L4) Actuated Systems Engineer to take hands-on technical ownership of the mechanical design, layout, and integration of actuation systems for flight control surfaces, bay doors, and other airframe mechanisms on a Group 5 UAV fighter aircraft. The role applies first-principles engineering to develop buildable actuator installations, mature mechanism layouts, and drive detailed hardware design through release, testing, and vehicle integration. It calls for technical rigor, rapid decision-making, and hands-on engineering in an accelerated aircraft development environment, with a focus on delivering operational capability to users. The position owns actuated-systems hardware from concept through drawing release, including CAD design, component and supplier execution, installation analysis, test planning, qualification, and hardware delivery. The engineer works across vehicle interfaces and supports design reviews and airworthiness certification.

Requirements

5 to 12 years of mechanical systems design experience in aerospace or a comparable regulated industry, including hands-on experience designing actuated mechanisms or aircraft installations.
B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
Deep mastery of mechanical design, kinematics, load paths, materials selection, GD&T, and tolerance stack-up methodologies.
Demonstrated capability performing closed-form hand calculations and basic FEA for mechanisms, brackets, mounts, and structural installation components.
Extensive experience in 3D CAD modeling, mechanical layouts, and drawing release, using Siemens NX, CATIA, Creo, or equivalent PLM workflows.
Demonstrated ability to develop actuator and mechanism installations that satisfy packaging, load, clearance, maintainability, and vehicle-interface requirements.
Proven track record sourcing COTS/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.
Clearance eligible.

Nice To Haves

Aircraft flight control actuation, weapons bay door, landing gear, or other deployable-mechanism design experience.
Experience with electro-mechanical or electro-hydrostatic actuation systems.
Familiarity with MIL-HDBK-516, MIL-STD-810, and airworthiness verification planning for mechanical systems.
Hands-on machine shop, fabrication, mechanical assembly, or prototype-build experience in a rapid R&D environment.

Responsibilities

Develop and mature layouts and installation concepts for actuators, mechanisms, linkages, brackets, mounting provisions, and associated hardware within vehicle packaging constraints.
Own detailed CAD design of actuated-systems hardware from concept through drawing release, including load paths, materials, interfaces, GD&T, and tolerance stack-ups.
Perform actuator sizing, kinematic layout, and installation analysis for flight control surfaces, bay doors, and other airframe mechanisms.
Perform hand calculations and basic FEA to substantiate brackets, mounts, linkages, and mechanical installation hardware.
Define and resolve installation interfaces with structures, EWIS, EPS, thermal management, and adjacent systems, including routing, clearances, and maintainability provisions.
Develop and maintain CAD models, drawings, interface definitions, and design data packages to program standards for SRR, PDR, and CDR.
Support component selection, technical specifications, supplier technical execution, prototype assembly, and mechanical test-fixture development.
Define and execute qualification test plans per MIL-STD-810, use results to mature designs into production-ready hardware, and support MIL-HDBK-516 Airworthiness Certification.