Principal Airframe & Manufacturing Engineer
Shield AI
What you'll do:
- Lead the design and manufacturing development of advanced airframe structures, ensuring they meet mission, aerodynamic, and durability requirements.
- Develop and optimize composite and metallic structures, including fuselage, wings, and primary load-bearing airframe components.
- Drive the transition from R&D to full-scale production, working closely with manufacturing, suppliers, and fabrication teams to ensure a scalable, high-quality manufacturing process.
- Oversee the integration of propulsion, avionics, and flight control systems within the airframe to ensure a structurally optimized UAV.
- Develop advanced manufacturing processes, including composite layup, bonding, CNC machining, and automated fabrication techniques.
- Ensure compliance with aerospace standards, including MIL-STD, FAA, and DoD regulations, for airframe design and production.
- Conduct structural analysis (FEA), fatigue life assessments, and material stress testing to optimize aircraft performance and longevity.
- Lead airframe prototyping efforts, supporting tooling design, materials testing, and initial flight validation.
- Mentor and provide technical leadership to junior engineers, collaborating across aerospace, manufacturing, and supply chain teams.
Required qualifications:
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
- 10+ years of experience in airframe structural design, analysis, and production.
- Expertise in composite and metallic materials, bonded structures, and advanced manufacturing methods.
- Hands-on experience in full-aircraft development, from concept to production launch.
- Proficiency in CAD & FEA tools (CATIA, NX, SolidWorks, NASTRAN, Abaqus, ANSYS).
- Strong knowledge of manufacturing processes, including composite layup, bonding, CNC machining, and supplier management.
- Experience with structural testing, fatigue analysis, and load validation for aerospace applications.
- US Citizenship required due to security clearance requirements.
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience working on high-performance UAVs, military aircraft, or advanced aerospace platforms.
- Knowledge of additive manufacturing, rapid prototyping, and automated composite layup techniques.
- Background in low-observable (stealth) airframe design and aerostructures.
- Experience in scaling aerospace production, including supplier qualification and cost optimization.