Manager, Mechanical Engineering - Hardware Test (X-BAT)

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and 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. About Shield AI Shield AI develops AI-powered autonomy software and aircraft systems that protect service members and civilians by enabling intelligent operations in contested environments. As part of the X-BAT program, you will help develop and validate next-generation autonomous aircraft and mission-critical hardware that must perform reliably in demanding operational conditions.

Job Description: Shield AI is seeking a Manager, Mechanical Engineering to lead the mechanical hardware-test team supporting X-BAT. The team develops and sustains the test stands, fixtures, tooling, support equipment, and facility interfaces used to validate mission-critical aircraft hardware across development, integration, qualification, and production.

You will be accountable for the team's people, technical direction, operating model, and delivery across a portfolio of test-equipment projects. You will translate program and verification priorities into a clear roadmap, build the capacity needed to execute it, and establish the engineering standards that make test systems safe, repeatable, maintainable, and ready for sustained use.

The ideal candidate combines strong mechanical and test-equipment judgment with demonstrated people leadership. You know how to grow engineers, manage competing priorities, make sound technical tradeoffs, and scale a hardware capability from rapid prototype work into disciplined, configuration-controlled operations. You remain close enough to the hardware to guide architecture, lead critical reviews, and help the team resolve its hardest problems.