# Senior Staff Mechanical Engineer (R5990)

**Company:** [Shield AI](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-companies/shield-ai)
**Location:** Seattle, Washington
**Work mode:** On-site
**Seniority:** Senior
**Employment type:** Full Time
**Salary:** USD 208K–312K/yr
**Category:** Mechanical
**Department:** Other
**Listed:** 2026-09-23

[View and apply on Zero G Talent](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-jobs/shield-ai/senior-staff-mechanical-engineer-r5990-7210bf7d-1129-418f-bb3f-adf43c53be8e)

## What you'll do

- Design electro-mechanical avionics packaging and thermal solutions
- Perform structural, thermal, modal analyses for harsh environments
- Ensure compliance with DO-160, MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-461
- Own design from concept through flight test readiness

## What you need

- 10+ yrs mechanical/electrical design for aerospace
- BS/MS in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering
- Expert CAD (NX, SolidWorks, CATIA)
- Familiar with eCAD (Altium, Cadence) and harness tools
- FEA, thermal analysis, fatigue/lifecycle testing

## Job description

We are seeking a highly motivated 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.

### WHAT YOU’LL DO:

-   Design complex electro-mechanical solutions for avionics packaging, electrical interconnects, thermal management, and aircraft integration
-   Perform structural, preliminary thermal, and modal analyses for avionics to ensure survivability in harsh environments
-   Ensure avionics meet performance, safety, environmental, and EMI/EMC compliance standards, including DO-160, DO-254, DO-178C, MIL-STD-810, and MIL-STD-461
-   Own your design work from concept to reviews through system validation, failure analysis, and flight test readiness.

### REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

-   B.S. and/or MS in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering
-   10+ years of experience in mechanical & electrical equipment design for aerospace, including harness integration and mechanical component design
-   Expertise in CAD software (NX, SolidWorks, CATIA, or similar) for 3D modeling, drawing creation, and system layout.
-   Familiarity with eCAD software (Altium, Cadence, Allegro), and harness design software (Capital, Zuken)
-   Experience working with electrical engineers to define PCB constraints, develop circuit cards, and care for all the mechanical interfaces
-   Familiarity with the PCB layout process and advanced manufacturing methods
-   Experience with finite element analysis (FEA), thermal analysis, and fatigue/lifecycle testing
-   Ability to work in a fast-paced, agile development environment with evolving priorities

## Other open roles at Shield AI

- [Senior Autonomy Engineer, Technical Documentation](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-jobs/shield-ai/senior-autonomy-engineer-technical-documentation-bd301ff3-45b6-4add-91bb-3ad27dd4ee1b) — San Diego, California
- [Supplier Quality Specialist (R6419)](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-jobs/shield-ai/supplier-quality-specialist-r6419-3bd4897a-8543-4b9f-9a1a-2985104f67f3) — Dallas, Texas
- [Supplier Quality Specialist - PCBA Rework (R6420)](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-jobs/shield-ai/supplier-quality-specialist-pcba-rework-r6420-c162548f-667b-47f9-bec3-627c8ad956d3) — Dallas, Texas
- [Senior Executive Recruiter - Hivemind (R6523)](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-jobs/shield-ai/senior-executive-recruiter-hivemind-r6523-56aaf005-96b7-4490-9fa8-8dbf1cebfa23) — Remote
- [Senior Executive Recruiter - G&A (R6520)](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-jobs/shield-ai/senior-executive-recruiter-g-a-r6520-c3b9cb07-8148-4906-a751-0bd1e1a45ffe) — Remote

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*Source: [Zero G Talent](https://zerogtalent.com), the job board for space, defense, AI, robotics and frontier-tech companies.*