Aerospace Engineer

Shield AI is seeking an Aerospace Engineer to own the flight performance, endurance, and mass properties for V-BAT.

In this role, you will serve as the technical authority on aircraft performance,translating flight dynamics, aircraft configuration, and environmental conditions into validated models that guide design decisions, payload integration, and autonomous flight software.

Responsibilities:

• Performance & Endurance Analysis: Develop and refine endurance, range, loiter, and cruise performance calculations based on flight dynamics, aircraft configuration, and operating environment.
• Weight & Balance Ownership: Own the aircraft weight and center-of-gravity model, including tracking, allocation budgets, and reporting throughout design changes and configuration updates.
• Aero & Engine Modeling: Create, validate, and maintain the aerodynamic and propulsion models of the aircraft.
• Cross-Functional Design Collaboration: Partner with Mechanical and Propulsion Design engineers to assess design change impacts.
• Payload & Configuration Evaluation: Collaborate with Go-To-Market teams to evaluate new payloads and estimate endurance and performance.
• Flight Test: Plan and drive flight test campaigns to validate operational envelopes and characterize real-world aircraft performance.
• Root Cause & Corrective Action: Participate in root cause analysis of performance anomalies and drive corrective actions.
• Requirements & Envelope Definition: Analyze large flight and test data sets to establish and refine operational envelope requirements and performance specifications.

Required qualifications:

• B.S. in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering.
• 3+ years of experience in the aerospace or defense industry.
• Demonstrated understanding of fixed-wing flight dynamics, aircraft performance, and aerodynamic/propulsion fundamentals.
• Proficiency in analyzing large data sets.
• Experience developing or maintaining aircraft weight and CG models.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred qualifications:

• Full lifecycle experience taking a product from concept through development, flight test, and field sustainment.
• Direct experience with fixed-wing unmanned aerial systems or autonomous aircraft.
• Experience building or tuning aero and engine models.
• Hands-on flight test experience.
• Familiarity with fixed-wing modeling and simulation tools.

Additional Information:

• Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity.
• Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location.