Define and operationalize company-wide engineering design standards for aerospace programs (VBAT, XBAT). Standardize CAD, drawing quality, design/analysis workflows, documentation, EBOM/MBOM handoffs, and configuration management. Partner with engineering leaders to scale engineering excellence, influence cross-discipline design decisions, and improve consistency without blocking execution.
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, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. 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.
Shield AI is building the world’s best AI pilot to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. As we scale both our proven VBAT platform and develop next-generation systems like XBAT, we are investing in how we build—not just what we build.
We are seeking a senior technical leader to define and operationalize engineering design standards across the company. This position is focused on establishing engineering excellence—driving consistency, rigor, and scalability across design, analysis, certification, CAD, documentation, and configuration management.
This is a high-impact individual contributor role with broad scope across multiple engineering disciplines, responsible for raising the bar on engineering quality without slowing down execution.
What you'll do:
- Establish and own engineering design standards across programs, including XBAT and VBAT
- Define and standardize best practices for aerospace design, analysis workflows, and system-level engineering rigor
- Develop standards for CAD usage, drawing quality, standard notes, release processes, and engineering documentation
- Manufacturing & supply chain handoff including EBOM and MBOM creation along with driving part demand
- Build and mature an engineering excellence framework that scales with the company
- Partner with engineering leadership to align teams on consistent ways of working
- Ensure standards are practical, accessible, and consistently applied across teams
- Influence design decisions and engineering processes across disciplines without becoming a bottleneck
- Support both near-term program execution and long-term scalability of engineering processes
- Drive improvements in configuration management, documentation quality, and design consistency
- Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance desired.
Required qualifications:
- 10+ years of experience in aerospace or high-performance hardware design environments
- Deep experience working within organizations that maintain strong engineering standards and design rigor
- Broad technical background across multiple engineering domains (mechanical, aerospace, systems, etc.)
- Experience defining or applying design standards, documentation practices, and configuration management systems
- Familiarity with industry standards such as MIL-STD-810, DO-160, and ASME Y14.5 (GD&T)
- Demonstrated ability to influence senior engineers and drive alignment across teams
- Strong track record of improving engineering quality, consistency, and scalability
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to clearly articulate standards and expectations across technical audiences
#LI-JM2
#LF
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.
Similar Jobs at Shield AI
Aerospace • Artificial Intelligence • Machine Learning • Robotics • Software
Perform operational analysis, modeling, simulation, and wargaming to evaluate autonomous aircraft performance, survivability, and mission impact. Build and analyze mission-level models, run trade studies and sensitivity analyses, engage DoD stakeholders, inform CONOPS and system design, monitor threats, and produce technical reports and briefings. Apply reproducible analysis practices and collaborate with engineering and product teams.
Top Skills:
AfsimBrawlerEsamsMatlabMbsePythonStkSysml
Aerospace • Artificial Intelligence • Machine Learning • Robotics • Software
Lead operational analyses and M&S to evaluate autonomous aircraft effectiveness, survivability, and mission impact. Build and run mission- and campaign-level models, perform trade studies and sensitivity analyses, engage DoD stakeholders, translate findings into system requirements and CONOPS, prepare technical reports/briefings, and coach junior analysts while applying reproducible, version-controlled analysis workflows.
Top Skills:
AfsimBrawlerEsamsGitMatlabMbsePythonStkSysml
Aerospace • Artificial Intelligence • Machine Learning • Robotics • Software
Lead enterprise strategy and operations: develop multi-year strategic plans, build financial models for capital allocation, translate priorities into cross-functional execution with KPIs, and track performance to sustain execution velocity.
Top Skills:
AechelonAutonomyHivemindV-BatX-Bat
What you need to know about the NYC Tech Scene
As the undisputed financial capital of the world, New York City is an epicenter of startup funding activity. The city has a thriving fintech scene and is a major player in verticals ranging from AI to biotech, cybersecurity and digital media. It also has universities like NYU, Columbia and Cornell Tech attracting students and researchers from across the globe, providing the ecosystem with a constant influx of world-class talent. And its East Coast location and three international airports make it a perfect spot for European companies establishing a foothold in the United States.
Key Facts About NYC Tech
- Number of Tech Workers: 549,200; 6% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
- Major Tech Employers: Capgemini, Bloomberg, IBM, Spotify
- Key Industries: Artificial intelligence, Fintech
- Funding Landscape: $25.5 billion in venture capital funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
- Notable Investors: Greycroft, Thrive Capital, Union Square Ventures, FirstMark Capital, Tiger Global Management, Tribeca Venture Partners, Insight Partners, Two Sigma Ventures
- Research Centers and Universities: Columbia University, New York University, Fordham University, CUNY, AI Now Institute, Flatiron Institute, C.N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics, NASA Space Radiation Laboratory
