Staff Propulsion Engineer (Jet)
Shield AI
What you will do in this role:
- Act as the single-threaded owner for the engine, accountable for all technical decisions from concept to flight.
- Define and manage engine requirements, interfaces, integration strategy, and performance goals.
- Lead ground and flight testing of the engine, including instrumentation planning, data acquisition, and analysis of key performance parameters (thrust, fuel flow, margin, transients).
- Analyze engine performance data across the flight envelope to validate behavior, identify anomalies, and close design-to-mission gaps.
- Collaborate with airframe, controls, and mission engineering teams to ensure engine integration supports aircraft-level CONOPS, maneuverability, and reliability.
- Own engine-level fault management, failure investigations, and margin assessments.
- Guide the development of engine control logic and tuning, including throttle schedule design and transient response shaping.
- Represent the engine in design reviews, technical readiness checkpoints, leadership briefings, and customer engagements.
Required qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
- 7+ years of experience in jet engine development, testing, and integration.
- Proven cradle-to-grave ownership of engine hardware, including sizing, integration, test, and flight.
- Deep knowledge of aerospace engine fundamentals, including thermodynamic cycles, thrust modeling, operability limits, and transient response.
- Hands-on experience in engine testing, including sensor planning, data systems, and test execution.
- Strong proficiency in Python for performance analysis, data reduction, and model correlation.
- Demonstrated ability to analyze and interpret engine performance data, including altitude/mach sensitivities and system interactions.
- U.S. Citizenship or ability to comply with ITAR requirements.
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience with low-bypass turbofan engines for UAVs, tactical aircraft, or similar aerospace platforms.
- Familiarity with GFSSP, REFPROP, ANSYS, or FEA for supporting thermal, fluid, or structural assessments.
- Experience with engine control development, including feedback tuning and transient validation.
- Background in rocket engine development, particularly in areas transferable to jet engine design, test, or integration.
- Proficiency in Siemens NX and Teamcenter for CAD and configuration control.
- Skilled in generating and reviewing technical documentation, including test reports, interface definitions, ICDs, and failure analyses.
- Ability to lead within a test-driven, hardware-centric aerospace development environment.
- M.S. or Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.