Senior Staff Engineer, Environmental Control Systems (RX) (R5905)

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

As a Senior Staff (L5) Environmental Control System (ECS) Engineer, you will take full technical ownership of the Environmental Control System architecture, analysis, design, and integration for a dedicated special access program.

Responsibilities

• Lead ECS architecture definition and trade studies to meet vehicle thermal, electrical, mass, and volume constraints.
• Design and analyze vehicle air inlets, scoops, ducting networks, and ram-air cooling circuits.
• Perform first-principles thermodynamic and heat transfer hand calculations, backed by 1D fluid-thermal network modeling.
• Author technical specifications and statements of work for ECS hardware, evaluate vendors, and drive supplier technical execution.
• Define qualification and verification test plans, design test rigs, support instrumentation/DAQ setup, and execute test campaigns.
• Process flight-test thermal and fluid data to identify discrepancies, resolve anomalies via root-cause investigation, and implement rapid design changes.

Requirements

• 8 to 15 years of direct experience in aerospace Environmental Control System and vehicle thermal/fluid system development.
• B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Deep mastery of thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and heat transfer applied to aircraft or defense systems.
• Demonstrated capability with 1D system modeling and ability to size systems.
• Experience in 3D CAD modeling, routing, and drawing release.
• Proven track record sourcing COTS/custom aerospace components, driving suppliers to schedule, and assembling benchtop or vehicle-level test setups.
• Demonstrated ability to self-direct, prioritize technical tasks without oversight, and deliver functional hardware under tight timelines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with aerospace environmental requirements and test standards.