Principal Aircraft Structures Design Engineer/Aerostructures Lead (R2977)

Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent, autonomous systems. Its products include Hivemind Enterprise—EdgeOS, Pilot, Commander, and Forge—as well as V-BAT and Sentient Vision Systems (wide-area motion imaging software). With offices in San Diego, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Abu Dhabi (UAE), Kyiv (Ukraine), and Melbourne (Australia), Shield AI’s technology actively supports U.S. and allied operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X and Instagram.

Job Description:

Shield AI is seeking a Principal Aircraft Structures Design Engineer (or Aerostructures Lead) to lead the design and integration of primary and secondary structural systems on our next-gen autonomous aircraft. This is a highly strategic, senior technical role where you will drive the development of lightweight, durable, and mission-adaptable aerostructures from concept through test and production.

You will be a key technical leader guiding decisions around materials, manufacturing, and performance tradeoffs while collaborating with cross-disciplinary teams including aero, propulsion, systems, and manufacturing. This is a hands-on, high-impact opportunity to shape the core structural architecture of a new class of aircraft built for autonomy, resilience, and global defense applications.

What you'll do:

Lead the structural design architecture for the next-gen UAV, owning conceptual and preliminary structural configuration down to detailed design of primary and secondary load-bearing assemblies.

Oversee the development of composite and metallic structures, optimizing for performance, weight, cost, manufacturability, and mission flexibility.

Act as a technical mentor and design authority, coaching structural engineers and ensuring consistent design practices, review standards, and execution quality across teams.

Collaborate with aero, GNC, propulsion, payload, and manufacturing teams to define interface and integration requirements for structures under real-world mission conditions.

Integrate simulation-driven design workflows and validation methodologies, incorporating FEA, load path optimization, fatigue, and environmental constraints early in the design cycle.

Provide hands-on support to prototype builds, manufacturing integration, and flight test activities, helping to resolve structural challenges in real time.

Drive adoption of model-based development and digital engineering tools within the Siemens (NX, Teamcenter) environment.

Partner with supply chain and manufacturing to ensure structural designs are ready for scalable production with clear specs, tolerances, and fabrication plans.

Lead and support design reviews, failure investigations, corrective actions, and documentation efforts aligned with airworthiness and mission safety standards.

Required qualifications:

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.

10+ years of experience in aircraft structural design, with at least 3 years in a technical leadership or mentorship capacity.

Proven expertise in composite and metallic airframe structures, including bonding, bolted joints, sandwich panels, and repairability.

In-depth understanding of structural analysis, including kinematics, dynamics, load paths, and stiffness/fatigue behavior.

Proficiency in CAD (NX, CATIA, or SolidWorks) and familiarity with FEA tools (e.g., NASTRAN, ANSYS, or HyperWorks).

Experience working within or alongside certification processes and airworthiness standards (FAA Part 23/25, MIL-HDBK, etc.).

Demonstrated track record of delivering structurally sound, test-validated airframes from clean-sheet design through prototype or production.

Preferred qualifications:

Experience with automated composite manufacturing (AFP, ATL), additive manufacturing, or advanced joining technologies.

Hands-on experience with structural validation testing, including static, dynamic, fatigue, and thermal/environmental testing.

Familiarity with aero-structural interaction, including aerodynamic performance, control surface loads, and thermal/aeroelastic effects.

Exposure to digital engineering practices, model-based design workflows, or PLM integration (e.g., Siemens Teamcenter).

Prior work on UAV, high-performance, or unconventional airframes in defense or advanced aerospace programs.

The posted salary range reflects multiple levels within the role, allowing us to align the position with the candidate's experience and expertise.

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Full-time regular employee offer package:

Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity

Temporary employee offer package:

Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)

Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.

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Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.

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Principal Aircraft Structures Design Engineer/Aerostructures Lead (R2977)

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