# Senior Engineer, Mechanical Test

**Company:** [Shield AI](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/shield-ai)
**Location:** Dallas, TX
**Role:** Hardware Engineering
**Salary:** $110k – $160k/yr
**Experience:** 6+ years
**Skills:** Siemens Nx, CAD, FEA, Python, Hydraulic Systems, Sensor Instrumentation, Load Cells, Strain Gauges, Finite Element Analysis, Composite Materials
**Posted:** 2026-06-12

> Design, build, and operate mechanical test systems for next-generation aircraft. Lead CAD/FEA work, hydraulic system integration, sensor instrumentation, and Python-based test automation.

## Job Description

## What you'll do

- Design, build, and operate test fixtures and systems involving hydraulic actuation, mechanical linkages, and sensor instrumentation.
- Support hydraulic system design and test activities, including selection, integration, and troubleshooting of components such as valves, pumps, accumulators, actuators, fittings, hoses, and manifolds.
- Develop and execute test plans to validate mechanical performance, structural integrity, and environmental durability.
- Integrate and calibrate a range of sensors (e.g., load cells, pressure transducers, strain gauges, accelerometers) into test setups for accurate data collection.
- Create and maintain python scripts to provide automation, signal processing, and result visualization.
- Analyze test data, troubleshoot system behaviors, and generate detailed technical reports with design feedback.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams including mechanical design, systems, and electrical engineering to define test requirements and interpret results.
- Lead CAD design of custom test equipment, prototypes, fixtures, and components, ensuring manufacturability and safety.
- Perform Finite Element Analysis to simulate mechanical performance, validate design assumptions, and correlate analytical results with test data.
- Work with composite materials in the design, fabrication, and testing of mechanical components, with consideration for their unique properties such as anisotropy, delamination risk, and layup configuration.
- Support lab safety protocols, equipment maintenance, and continuous improvement of test capabilities.

## Required qualifications

- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
- 6+ years of experience in mechanical/structures testing or product development environments.
- Deep experience with hydraulic systems, driving precise control, stable operation, and reliable data capture across complex test environment.
- Expertise in sensor selection, integration, and calibration in test environments, producing high-confidence data used to inform critical design decisions.
- Proficiency in Python for scripting, test automation, and data analysis.
- Advanced CAD skills (e.g. Siemens NX) with experience designing test hardware and prototypes.
- Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently and in team settings.

## Preferred qualifications

- Comprehensive understanding of hydraulic schematics, pressure and flow characterization, leak detection methodologies, instrumentation, and the safe operation of pressurized hydraulic systems.
- Experience working in aerospace structures and dynamics test environments with familiarity with test article preparation, sensor installation, data acquisition systems, reaction frame design, test readiness reviews, and post-test data analysis.

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