Shield AI
Staff Flight Test Engineer (R4380)
$144K–$262K
Wichita Metro Area · On-site · Staff · Full-time · Posted Jan 7, 2026
- Experience
- 5-10 years required; 10+ years preferred.
- Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM Degree).
About the job
Leads ground and flight testing of the X-BAT autonomous aircraft, from test planning and execution through data analysis and flight-envelope expansion.
What you'll do
- Plan and lead developmental ground and flight test campaigns, including readiness, safety, and risk assessments.
- Coordinate test operations and teams, including mission control, telemetry, aircraft configuration, and go/no-go recommendations.
- Analyze test data, investigate anomalies, and document results to guide aircraft development and subsequent testing.
What they ask for
- Bachelor’s degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM Degree).
- 5-10 years of experience with developmental and/or operational ground and flight test, unmanned/manned aircraft systems, aircraft integration, or aerospace systems engineering.
- Strong understanding of aircraft systems, flight dynamics, avionics, telemetry, sensors, or control systems; ability to write and execute structured test plans, procedures, and reports.
- Active Secret Security Clearance.
Nice to have
- 10+ years of relevant ground and flight test, unmanned aircraft systems, aircraft integration, or aerospace systems engineering experience.
- Experience with Group 4-5 UAS and/or fighter type capability or similar weapons systems.
Pay
USD 144,000–262,000 per year base salary
Tools
X-BAT, Integrated Analysis & Data System (IADS), FAA, DoW, Command-and-Control (C2) systems, RF systems
AI focus
Supports testing and evaluation of aircraft autonomy, including integrated evaluations of autonomy and related systems.
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative