Senior Mechanical Engineer, Systems Integration

San Diego, California / Dallas, Texas

X-BAT Division – X-BAT Engineering - System Engineering & Integrated Test /

Full Time Employee /

On-site

Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software and V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

Job Description:

Shield AI is seeking a Spatial Integration Design Engineer to lead the design and physical integration of secondary support structures, subsystem installations, and vehicle routing architecture across the platform. This role is heavily focused on mechanical design, packaging, and installation definition within a highly constrained aerospace environment.

This engineer will own the design and development of support hardware, LRU installations, and routing solutions for EWIS, hydraulic, ECS, fuel, and mechanical systems. This includes concept development, CAD modeling, trade studies, structural and fitment analysis, drawing release, procurement support, and installation strategy development.

The ideal candidate has strong aerospace mechanical design experience, excellent spatial reasoning skills, and a deep understanding of vehicle integration constraints including maintainability, manufacturability, accessibility, thermal management, and assembly sequencing.

What You'll Do

Lead the mechanical design and spatial integration of secondary support structures and subsystem installations across the vehicle
Design brackets, trays, mounting provisions, equipment racks, supports, clips, and installation hardware
Develop and maintain vehicle-level LRU layouts and packaging architectures
Design routing solutions and installation provisions for:
EWIS harnessing
Hydraulic lines
ECS ducting
Fuel plumbing
Pneumatic systems
Perform CAD-based integration and packaging studies to resolve spatial conflicts and optimize vehicle layouts
Generate detailed 3D models, installation drawings, interface definitions, and engineering release packages
Perform fitment, tolerance, and installation analyses to validate integration solutions
Develop installation strategies including assembly sequencing, accessibility, tooling access, and maintainability considerations
Coordinate with manufacturing, structures, avionics, systems engineering, and test teams to ensure integration compatibility
Support procurement and fabrication activities for designed hardware
Support prototype build and vehicle integration activities by resolving installation and interference issues
Participate in design reviews including PDR, CDR, and manufacturing readiness reviews
Manage the CAD product structure for BOM exports

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field
Experience designing mechanical hardware and integrated aerospace installations
Strong proficiency with CAD tools such as CATIA or Siemens NX
Experience sizing parts for various failure scenarios
Experience creating detailed engineering drawings and installation definitions
Strong understanding of aerospace integration and packaging principles
Familiarity with EWIS routing and subsystem installation constraints
Experience integrating hydraulic, ECS, fuel, or mechanical systems within aircraft or vehicle platforms
Understanding of GD&T, tolerance stack-up, and installation analysis principles
Ability to balance structural, thermal, manufacturing, accessibility, and maintainability constraints within designs
Strong communication and cross-functional coordination skills
Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance desired.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with military aircraft, spacecraft, UAVs, or advanced aerospace systems
Experience supporting prototype builds or vehicle assembly activities
Familiarity with aerospace installation and EWIS standards
Experience with digital mock-up (DMU) and clash detection workflows
Understanding of structural load paths and equipment mounting considerations
Experience with PLM and configuration management systems

$110,000 - $160,000 a year

#LI-SM1

Full-time regular employee offer package:

Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity

Temporary employee offer package:

Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)

Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.

Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

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