Shield AI

Staff Engineer, Fuel Systems (R5900)

Shield AI$175K — $263K *
Aerospace & Defense
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
  • 7+ years of experience in aerospace fuel systems or related aircraft system development.
  • Strong understanding of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and flow dynamics.
  • Hands-on experience with fluid system hardware integration and testing.
  • Proficiency in Python or similar tools for analysis and data reduction.
  • Ability to independently drive technical problems to measurable results in a fast-paced environment.
  • U.S. Citizenship and active security clearance.

Responsibilities

  • Serve as the Responsible Engineer for the aircraft fuel system, overseeing technical execution from concept to deployment.
  • Design, size, and integrate fuel system components including tanks, pumps, and valves.
  • Analyze fuel system performance in various operating conditions and scenarios.
  • Lead design reviews and supplier engagements to ensure system meets comprehensive requirements.
  • Plan and execute tests for components and subsystems, ensuring flight readiness.
  • Analyze operational data to validate performance and identify areas for improvement.
  • Lead investigations into failures and develop corrective actions.

Benefits

  • Bonus and equity opportunities included in the compensation package.
  • Comprehensive benefits offered to full-time employees after 60 days.
  • Temporary benefits for short-term employees after 60 days.
Full Job Description
We are seeking a highly motivated Staff Fuel System Engineer to support the design, development, integration, and fielding of a next-generation autonomous aircraft system. This position requires a balance of technical rigor, rapid decision-making, and hands-on engineering to efficiently transition concepts into operational capability. The ideal candidate is comfortable solving complex problems, taking ownership, working within an accelerated aircraft development environment, and is motivated by getting meaningful capability into the hands of operators quickly. You will serve as the Responsible Engineer (RE) for the aircraft fuel system, owning technical execution from requirements and architecture through design, procurement, integration, build, test, flight, and operational support. This role requires strong thermofluid fundamentals, engineering judgment, and the ability to understand fuel system behavior across demanding aircraft operating conditions while serving as the focal point between propulsion, vehicle teams, suppliers, and flight operations. What You'll Do 31; Serve as the Responsible Engineer for the aircraft fuel system, owning requirements, architecture, interfaces, hardware, and technical decisions from concept through operational deployment. 31; Design, size, and integrate fuel tanks, pumps, valves, plumbing, venting and pressurization systems, filtration, level sensing, and associated fuel system hardware. 31; Analyze fuel system performance across the aircraft operating envelope, including pressure and flow requirements, transient engine demand, elevated-G maneuvering, tank depletion, slosh, vapor pressure, cavitation, vapor ingestion, and thermal effects. 31; Lead technical design reviews, supplier engagements, and hardware procurement while ensuring the fuel system meets performance, mass, thermal, reliability, safety, and mission requirements. 31; Plan and execute component, subsystem, and vehicle-level testing, including instrumentation, procedures, data acquisition, performance validation, and flight readiness. 31; Analyze ground and flight data to validate system performance, quantify margin, identify anomalies, and drive hardware or operational improvements. 31; Lead failure investigations and root cause efforts using analysis, inspection, testing, and data to develop effective corrective actions. 31; Work hands-on with design engineers, technicians, propulsion, controls, airframe, manufacturing, supply chain, test, and flight teams to build, integrate, troubleshoot, and iterate flight hardware. Required Qualifications 31; Bachelors degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline. 31; 7+ years of experience in aerospace fuel systems, fluid systems, propulsion, or related aircraft system development, with demonstrated ownership of complex aerospace hardware. 31; Strong understanding of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and compressible and incompressible flow. 31; Strong understanding of aerospace fuel system design, including pressure losses, pump performance, venting, vapor pressure, cavitation, transient flow behavior, and thermal effects. 31; Hands-on experience with fluid system hardware integration, instrumentation, testing, flight support, and technical failure investigations. 31; Strong proficiency in Python or similar tools for engineering analysis, data reduction, and model correlation. 31; Demonstrated ability to independently drive ambiguous technical problems to measurable results in a fast-paced development environment. 31; U.S. Citizenship and active security clearance. Preferred Qualifications 31; Experience developing fuel systems for high-performance aircraft, tactical aircraft, UAVs, or similar aerospace platforms. 31; Experience designing fuel systems for elevated-G maneuvering, aggressive vehicle dynamics, or challenging fuel delivery conditions. 31; Experience with fuel tanks, pumps, valves, regulators, level sensing, venting, pressurization, and fuel system control hardware. 31; Familiarity with GFSSP, REFPROP, CFD, ANSYS, FEA, or similar thermal-fluid analysis tools. 31; Experience working with aerospace suppliers through component selection, procurement, development, qualification, and integration. 31; Background in rocket propulsion or propellant systems with experience transferable to aerospace fuel system design, analysis, integration, or test. 31; M.S. or Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline. $175,000 - $263,000 a year #LI-SP #LD 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.

About Shield AI

Shield AI is a defense technology company that develops artificially intelligent systems for military applications. The company was founded in 2015 by Brandon Tseng, Ryan Tseng, and Andrew Reiter, and is headquartered in San Diego, California. Shield AI's products include autonomous drones and software that can be used for reconnaissance, surveillance, and other military operations. The company's mission is to reduce the number of military casualties by providing soldiers with better intelligence and situational awareness. Shield AI has received funding from a number of investors, including Andreessen Horowitz and Founders Fund.
Learn more about Shield AI
Size
200 employees
Industry
Founded
2015

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