Shield AI
Air Vehicle Lead, Chief Engineer
$212K–$318K
Seattle, Washington +2 · On-site · Full-time · Posted Aug 26, 2026
- Location
- Seattle, Washington
Dallas, Texas
San Diego, California - Experience
- 15+ years of relevant aircraft development experience; alternatives not stated.
- Education
- Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
About the job
Leads the technical design, development, integration, testing, and production maturation of an aircraft, guiding multidisciplinary engineering teams and owning vehicle-level technical performance and risk.
What you'll do
- Direct aircraft architecture, engineering trades, integration, and design execution from requirements through flight test and production.
- Identify and resolve technical risks through hands-on engineering, prototyping, ground and flight testing, and real-world data.
- Partner with manufacturing, suppliers, and other teams to ensure the aircraft is producible and meets program objectives.
What they ask for
- 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; demonstrated broad aircraft technical understanding and hands-on leadership.
- Ability to obtain and maintain the security clearance required for the program.
Nice to have
- Master's degree or higher.
- Development experience ideally spanning design, build, integration, ground test, flight test, and production.
Pay
USD 212,320–318,480 (per-year-salary)
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative