Staff Engineer, Test & Evaluation Engineer

About This Role

This engineering role is responsible for defining, planning, and executing all integration testing phases for the XBAT, including developmental, functional, and qualification testing for flight vehicles, subsystems, and ground support equipment. The successful candidate will lead a multi-disciplinary test team, manage complex testing facilities, ensure compliance with industry standards, and drive the transition of new products from design to flight/operational readiness.

Responsibilities

• Bring up vehicle through functional testing and deliver the fully operational aircraft to the customer
• Define comprehensive functional, ground, and flight test plan
• Set up ground support equipment and execute tests
• Scope and sequence all testing efforts
• Lead a multi-disciplinary test team
• Manage complex testing facilities
• Ensure compliance with industry standards
• Drive the transition of new products from design to flight/operational readiness

Requirements

• Proven experience with clean sheet design to first flight
• Knowledge of test methodologies (e.g., DO-160, MIL-STD-810), instrumentation, data acquisition systems, and telemetry architecture
• Proven experience in successfully managing a full lifecycle test campaign, from component-level testing through to system-level Qualification or Type Certification
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with the ability to present complex technical findings to executive leadership and external regulatory boards

Nice to have:

• Prior experience as a Flight Test Engineer or Test Director for experimental or certificated aircraft/spacecraft
• Experience with test automation frameworks and data analysis tools (e.g., MATLAB, Python, LabVIEW, Minitab)
• Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance (if applicable to defense programs)

Benefits

• Bonus
• Equity
• Benefits package
• Temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment for temporary employees)

About the Company

Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide.