Staff Engineer, Propulsion (R5899)

Shield AI is seeking a highly motivated Staff Propulsion Engineer to support the design, development, integration, and fielding of a next-generation autonomous aircraft system.

The ideal candidate is comfortable solving complex problems, taking ownership, working within an accelerated aircraft development environment, and is motivated by getting meaningful capability into the hands of operators quickly.

You will serve as a Responsible Engineer (RE) for critical propulsion hardware and capabilities, owning technical execution from requirements and architecture through procurement, integration, build, test, flight, and operational support.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the Responsible Engineer for assigned propulsion hardware or capabilities from requirements through procurement, build, test, flight, and operational deployment.
• Own engine performance and integration activities, including requirements, interfaces, operability, transient behavior, performance margins, and vehicle-level impacts.
• Lead technical design reviews, supplier engagements, and hardware procurement while ensuring propulsion hardware meets performance, thermal, structural, reliability, and mission requirements.
• Plan and execute propulsion testing, including instrumentation, procedures, data acquisition, performance validation, and test-to-flight readiness.
• Analyze ground and flight data to understand engine behavior, quantify margin, identify anomalies, and drive design, control, or operational improvements.
• Lead failure investigations and root cause efforts using analysis, inspection, testing, and data to develop effective corrective actions.
• Work hands-on with design engineers, technicians, controls, fluids, airframe, manufacturing, supply chain, test, and flight teams to integrate and iterate propulsion hardware.
• Mentor less experienced engineers and technicians and help strengthen engineering practices across the propulsion team.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• 7+ years of experience in aerospace propulsion development, integration, test, or flight operations, with demonstrated ownership of complex aerospace hardware.
• Strong understanding of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, compressible flow, and gas turbine engine performance, including thrust generation, fuel consumption, operability, and transient response.
• Hands-on experience with propulsion hardware integration, instrumentation, testing, flight support, and technical failure investigations.
• Strong proficiency in Python or similar tools for engineering analysis, data reduction, and model correlation.
• Demonstrated ability to independently drive ambiguous technical problems to measurable results in a fast-paced development environment.
• U.S. Citizenship and ability to obtain security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with fighter-class, low-bypass turbofan, afterburning, or other high-performance gas turbine engines.
• Experience working with engine OEMs or aerospace suppliers through procurement, development, qualification, and integration.
• Experience with engine controls, performance tuning, transient validation, or propulsion and flight-control integration.
• Familiarity with GFSSP, REFPROP, ANSYS, FEA, CFD, Siemens NX, or Teamcenter.
• Background in rocket propulsion with experience transferable to high-performance propulsion design, integration, analysis, or test.
• M.S. or Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.

Benefits

• Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity