Aerostructures Design Manager · Shield AI

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:13:52 GMT
Engineering

Shield AI · Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity · onsite

Shield AI is seeking an Aerostructures Design Manager to support the development of mechanisms for our next-generation autonomous aircraft. As a contributor on the Launch and Recovery Vehicle team, you will lead the design and development of high-performance mechanisms from concept through production release.

In this role, you'll lead and contribute to the development of complex, mission-critical technologies while guiding a talented team to deliver at a high level. Blending hands-on technical work with leadership, you'll help drive innovation, solve challenging problems, and bring cutting-edge systems from concept to reality.

Functional Excellence:

Directly contribute to the design, analysis, and integration of mechanical systems and subsystems for X-BAT Launch and Recovery Vehicle.

Establish and improve pragmatic mechanical engineering standards, templates, specifications, and best practices that increase design quality, reduce rework, and enable faster iteration.

Own mechanical engineering deliverables across the product lifecycle,from early concept and prototyping through test, production, and field support,with a bias toward execution and delivery.

Own failure mode analysis and reliability modeling for mechanical systems, establish lightweight, repeatable practices (e.g., FMEA, fault trees) that proactively identify risks, reduce field failures, and inform design tradeoffs.

Partner closely with Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Program Management, and Flight Operations to ensure designs are buildable, testable, and reliable in real-world environments.

Provide hands-on technical support during ground and flight testing, demos, and field operations; rapidly troubleshoot and implement design fixes under tight timelines.

Team Leadership and Development:

Lead, mentor, and develop a team of mechanical engineers, providing technical guidance, regular feedback, and clear expectations for ownership and execution.

Recruit and hire experienced mechanical engineers to strengthen team capability, elevate technical standards, and improve mentorship depth.

Act as a player-coach: balance meaningful individual technical contribution with team leadership, design reviews, and day-to-day unblock of engineers.

Establish team norms around accountability, decision-making speed, and engineering rigor,ensuring high-quality output without slowing momentum.

Set clear priorities aligned with program goals; actively manage team bandwidth, identify risks early, and communicate tradeoffs to leadership.

Drive clear and concise technical communication, ensuring design decisions, assumptions, and tradeoffs are well-documented and understood across functions.

Required qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related discipline.

10+ years of experience in mechanical design for aerospace, ground support equipment, or related ruggedized hardware systems.

3+ years of leadership/manger with demonstrated excellence in building, retaining, and leading a high performing engineering team

Proficiency in 3D CAD software (NX preferred) with demonstrated ability to create detailed GD&T-compliant component and assembly 3D models and drawings.

Proficiency in developing drawing templates/standards, and design/manufacturing specifications.

Familiarity with industry standards (ASME, ISO, ASTM, or industry-specific regulatory requirements).

Experience with engineering analysis methods (FEA, stress, thermal, tolerance stack-up, fatigue, fluid flow as applicable) to validate design integrity.

Ownership of 2–3 full product development cycles from concept through release to production to on-going customer sustainment.

Cross-functional collaboration experience with other Engineering Functions, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Program Management, and Field Operations.

Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, high-ownership development environment with evolving priorities

Strong written and verbal technical communication skills.

Preferred qualifications:

M.S. degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering.

Experience supporting UAV, DoD, or aerospace full vehicle programs.

Familiarity with aerospace standards (MIL-STD, ASME Y14.5, FAA).

Knowledge of manufacturing processes (machining, sheet metal, injection molding, casting, additive manufacturing) and ability to design for manufacturability (DFM)

Knowledge of reliability modeling and analysis methods.

Experience using FEA tools (ANSYS, Abaqus, NASTRAN, or similar) for linear structural analysis.