Staff Engineer, Electrical Failure Analysis

Shield AI is pioneering AI pilots for aircraft that protect service members and civilians. We are looking for a failure analysis engineer to join our team, focused on the design, integration and troubleshooting of electronics systems critical to our aircraft.

This role is perfect for an engineer with a solid foundation in power systems, embedded systems who is eager to grow, own challenging projects, and see their work move rapidly from concept to flight. If you thrive in fast-paced environments, enjoy solving complex problems, and want to help build the future of autonomous aviation, we want to hear from you.

Responsibilities:

• Lead failure analysis investigations for avionics hardware, including: PCBAs (digital, analog, power, mixed-signal), harnesses, connectors, and interconnects
• Perform root cause analysis (RCA) using structured methodologies (8D, 5-Why, Fishbone, Fault Tree, etc.)
• Conduct and/or oversee electrical, mechanical, and environmental failure analysis
• Collaborate with design engineers to identify design vulnerabilities, manufacturing and suppliers on process-related issues
• Work closely with cross-functional teams (reliability, mechanical, embedded, software, production, supply chain, etc.)
• Drive design, process, and supplier corrective actions to closure
• Author clear, data-driven failure analysis reports and present findings to technical and program leadership
• Mentor junior engineers and help establish best practices for failure analysis and reliability

Required qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering; or equivalent work experience
• 8+ years of experience in failure analysis, reliability, or hardware debug for aerospace, defense, or high-reliability electronics
• Strong technical fundamentals
• Experienced with cross-sectioning, microscopy, X-ray, and other FA techniques
• Strong hands-on experience with PCBA failure mechanisms (solder joints, vias, components, PCB materials), Harnesses, connectors, crimping, shielding, and interconnect reliability
• Demonstrated track record of extreme ownership, working hard, and delivering outstanding outcomes
• A track record of successfully delivery of products and solutions, overcome obstacles, and deliver high-quality solutions to meet project deadlines and exceed expectations in a fast-paced environment
• Proactively identify opportunities for improvement within organization, demonstrating initiative to propose and implement innovative solutions that enhance efficiency, quality, and overall project success and aircraft reliability
• Ability to independently drive investigations from symptom to root cause

$150,000 - $220,000 a year