Staff Engineer, Flight Test (R4914)

Shield AI

Shield AI

Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Posted on May 7, 2026
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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. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

Job Description:

As a Staff Flight Test Engineer, you will lead hands-on flight test campaigns for next-generation autonomous aircraft systems powered by Hivemind Mission Autonomy. You will operate at the intersection of systems engineering, test operations, and aerospace integration by designing, planning, and executing complex flight test activities on unmanned and optionally piloted platforms. Your work will directly influence the performance, safety, and reliability of cutting-edge AI-enabled flight systems deployed for mission-critical applications.

You will work closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams to develop test strategies, validate system requirements, and ensure flight readiness through rigorous verification, simulation, and flight testing. This role is ideal for an experienced engineer who thrives in fast-paced environments, excels at technical leadership, and is motivated by achieving real-world results that advance the future of autonomous aviation.

Required qualifications:

  • Tertiary qualification in Aerospace, Electrical, Software Engineering or a related field
  • Active RePL (ideally with multirotor and fixed wing endorsements up to 25kg) and experience conducting UAS operations
  • Minimum of 5 years experience in test engineering, flight test operations, aerospace engineering or equivalent
  • Demonstrated ability to plan, conduct and document structured flight test campaigns
  • Experience in applying Systems Engineering practices
  • Hands on experience with Software or Hardware in the Loop simulation environments and tools
  • Willingness to travel domestically and internationally to support test events

Preferred qualifications:

  • Experience in defense test programs, especially DT&E / OT&E processes
  • Experience in product development or R&D programs, especially in autonomous systems
  • Experience in electrical and mechanical systems integration for UAS
  • Basic proficiency with software development, test automation or data analysis workflows, especially in Python
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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.
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, colour, 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.
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