# Air Vehicle Lead

**Company:** [Shield AI](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/shield-ai)
**Location:** San Diego, CA, Dallas, TX
**Role:** Hardware Engineering
**Salary:** $212k – $318k/yr
**Experience:** 15+ years
**Skills:** Aerospace Engineering, Aircraft Design, Systems Integration, Aerodynamics, Flight Sciences, Structures, Propulsion, Avionics, Flight Controls, Verification And Validation, Flight Testing, Manufacturing
**Posted:** 2026-08-26

> Leads the technical development of a new autonomous aircraft program from architecture and design through flight testing and production. Requires 15+ years of aircraft development experience, broad multidisciplinary expertise, and hands-on technical leadership.

## Job Description

## Responsibilities
- Own the aircraft’s overall architecture, technical performance, integration, and design integrity throughout the development lifecycle.
- Lead multidisciplinary engineering across aerodynamics, flight sciences, structures, mechanical systems, propulsion, avionics, electrical systems, and flight controls.
- Lead system-level trades involving performance, weight, range, payload, cost, reliability, manufacturability, schedule, and technical risk.
- Drive the aircraft from requirements and conceptual design through preliminary and critical design, hardware release, build, integration, ground test, flight test, and production.
- Participate directly in design reviews, technical problem solving, root-cause investigations, testing, and critical design decisions.
- Identify and close technical risks that could prevent mission success.
- Use prototypes, ground tests, flight tests, and operational data to retire risk and improve the aircraft.
- Control interfaces among structures, propulsion, avionics, flight controls, payloads, software, and other systems.
- Partner with Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, and Operations to transition the aircraft into repeatable production.
- Provide technical leadership to suppliers and external partners.
- Mentor engineers and technical leaders while establishing rigorous, accountable engineering practices.

## Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
- 15+ years of relevant aircraft development experience, including significant technical leadership on complex aerospace programs.
- Experience leading an air vehicle or major aircraft system through multiple development phases, ideally including design, build, integration, ground test, flight test, and production.
- Broad understanding of aircraft development and the ability to make informed trades across aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, flight controls, avionics, mechanical systems, and vehicle integration.
- Hands-on technical leadership experience with both deep engineering problem solving and system-level ownership.
- Demonstrated ability to make difficult technical decisions with incomplete information, prioritize high-value risks, and drive solutions quickly.
- Strong understanding of aircraft design principles, system integration, verification and validation, and aircraft-level performance.
- Experience partnering with manufacturing and suppliers to transition complex aerospace hardware into production.
- Track record of owning complex development efforts and delivering hardware through technical challenges and program milestones.
- Ability to obtain and maintain the required security clearance.

## Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s degree or higher in an engineering discipline.

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