Staff Engineer, Mechanical (R4887)
Shield AI · Dallas, United States · 4mo ago
Job Description:
We are seeking a Staff Mechanical Engineer who can lead complex hardware efforts from concept through deployment. This individual will own mechanical design and system integration while developing high-quality, production-ready engineering definitions.
The ideal candidate combines system-level technical leadership with deep, hands-on experience in 3D CAD, 2D production drawings, advanced GD&T, material selection, and manufacturing processes. This role will integrate electronics, RF systems, and composite structures into rugged, field-ready airborne platforms.
What you'll do:
- Lead mechanical design and integration for airborne or ruggedized systems from concept through production and field deployment.
- Develop and review complex 3D CAD models, assemblies, interfaces, 2D production drawings, BOMs, and release packages.
- Establish functional datum structures, apply advanced GD&T, and perform tolerance analyses to ensure fit, function, interchangeability, and inspectability.
- Own system-level packaging of electronics, including radios, antennas, PCBAs, and harnessing.
- Design components and assemblies using metallics, plastics, composites, elastomers, adhesives, and other engineering materials.
- Select appropriate materials and manufacturing processes based on structural, thermal, environmental, producibility, cost, and schedule requirements.
- Design for manufacturing processes including CNC machining, additive manufacturing, injection molding, composite fabrication, sheet metal, and bonded assembly.
- Drive cross-functional collaboration across electrical, RF, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and test teams.
- Serve as technical or project lead on select efforts, managing scope, schedule, risk, and technical execution.
- Lead design reviews and guide structural, thermal, tolerance, environmental, and manufacturability analyses.
- Support prototype builds, qualification, production integration, troubleshooting, and root-cause investigations.
- Ensure designs meet reliability, manufacturability, inspectability, maintainability, and performance requirements.
Required qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering field.
- 8+ years of mechanical design and product-development experience, including demonstrated ownership of complex products or subsystems from concept through production.
- Advanced proficiency in GD&T and ASME Y14.5, including functional datum selection, position, profile, form and orientation controls, composite feature control frames, tolerance-zone modifiers, and design for inspection.
- Deep experience creating and releasing detailed 2D production drawings for complex parts and assemblies, demonstrated through a substantial body of work
- Strong proficiency with a production CAD platform such as NX, Creo, CATIA, SolidWorks, or Inventor, including complex part modeling, large assemblies, drawing creation, and revision-controlled release.
- Experience developing hardware using a broad range of materials, including metallics, engineering plastics, composites, elastomers, and structural adhesives.
- Practical design-for-manufacturing experience across multiple processes, including CNC machining, additive manufacturing, injection molding, composite fabrication, sheet metal, and bonded or mechanically fastened assembly.
- Strong understanding of material selection, tolerance analysis, manufacturing variation, assembly processes, and inspection methods.
- Proven ability to work cross-functionally with manufacturing, quality, electrical engineering, supply chain, technicians, suppliers, and machine shops.
- Demonstrated ability to independently lead technical decisions and resolve complex design, manufacturing, and integration problems.
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience with Siemens NX and Teamcenter.
- Experience designing and integrating airborne, aerospace, defense, or other ruggedized hardware.
- Experience packaging radios, antennas, PCBAs, sensors, connectors, and embedded electronics.
- Familiarity with coaxial cables, RF cables, wiring harnesses, bend-radius requirements, and connector integration.
- Experience designing composite structures and hybrid composite-metal assemblies.
- Understanding of electronics thermal management, grounding, shielding, and EMI/EMC considerations.
- Familiarity with environmental requirements involving vibration, shock, temperature, corrosion, and ingress protection.
- Experience with ground support equipment, test fixtures, or qualification hardware.
- Hands-on experience supporting prototype builds, production, environmental testing, and field troubleshooting.
- Act as the technical lead for complex projects, systems, or major subsystems.
- Lead design reviews and make sound technical decisions with incomplete information.
- Review and approve CAD models, engineering drawings, tolerance schemes, material selections, and manufacturing approaches.
- Mentor engineers in mechanical design, GD&T, drawing creation, material selection, and design for manufacturing.
- Balance development speed with the rigor required to deliver reliable, production-ready aerospace hardware.
Leadership Expectations