Engineer I, Mechanical (R6302)

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems.

As a Mechanical Engineer on the Mechanisms team, you will contribute to the design, development, and integration of mechanical systems for Shield AI’s autonomous aircraft.

Responsibilities:

• Support the design and integration of mechanical mechanisms for autonomous aircraft, potentially including gearboxes and other power-transmission systems
• Create and update 3D CAD models, engineering drawings, bills of materials, and interface documentation
• Complete defined design tasks involving component sizing, material selection, tolerance analysis, and mechanical packaging
• Perform foundational structural, kinematic, and machine-design calculations with guidance from senior engineers
• Assist with preliminary finite element analysis and document assumptions, methods, and results
• Support the selection and integration of gears, bearings, shafts, splines, seals, fasteners, and lubrication components
• Help build, inspect, test, and iterate prototype hardware for functionality, performance, and reliability
• Support pre-production builds, aircraft integration, and ground and flight testing
• Investigate well-defined technical issues, document findings, and contribute to root-cause and corrective-action activities
• Collaborate with mechanical, propulsion, electrical, avionics, flight-controls, manufacturing, and test teams
• Follow established engineering, configuration-management, and product-release processes
• Develop plans for assigned tasks, communicate progress and risks, and incorporate feedback from teammates

Requirements:

• 0-1 years of related experience with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent work experience
• Understanding of fundamental mechanical engineering principles, including statics, dynamics, mechanics of materials, materials science, and machine design
• Academic, internship, student-team, research, or project experience using 3D CAD software
• Ability to create or interpret basic engineering drawings
• Familiarity with dimensional tolerancing and GD&T fundamentals
• Ability to perform foundational engineering calculations and clearly document assumptions and results
• Hands-on interest in designing, building, integrating, or testing mechanical hardware
• Strong problem-solving, organization, documentation, and communication skills
• Ability to complete well-defined engineering tasks with guidance from peers and managers
• Ability to collaborate effectively, accept feedback, and work in a fast-paced environment with evolving priorities
• A demonstrated record of working hard, being trustworthy, holding yourself to high standards, and being kind to others
• Ability to obtain an S//SAR-level security clearance is desired

Preferred Qualifications:

• Internship, student-team, research, or project experience involving aircraft, UAVs, robotics, automotive systems, or other mechanical products
• Coursework or project experience related to gearboxes, gearing, bearings, shafts, splines, seals, lubrication, or rotating machinery
• Familiarity with gear geometry, gear-train calculations, bearing selection, or mechanical power transmission
• Experience with NX or a similar production CAD platform
• Exposure to tolerance stack-ups, mechanical fits, and GD&T application
• Exposure to finite element analysis, including static, modal, buckling, or fatigue analysis
• Familiarity with MATLAB, Python, or other engineering analysis tools
• Hands-on machine-shop, mechanic, fabrication, assembly, or inspection experience through professional, academic, or hobby activities
• Exposure to FMEA, design of experiments, root-cause analysis, or reliability testing
• Familiarity with additive manufacturing, machining, casting, forging, or other mechanical manufacturing processes
• Exposure to RTCA DO-160, MIL-STD-810, structural testing, vibration testing, or mechanism testing
• Ability to thrive in startup, R&D, or defense-innovation environments