Shield AI

Staff Engineer, Landing Gear Systems

Shield AI · Dallas, TX
Dallas, TX $130K–$200K Posted 2026-07-09
Salary
$130K–$200K
Type
Full-time
Experience
7+ yr

Founded in 2015, 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 and V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft. 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.

Full-time regular employee offer package:
Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity

Temporary employee offer package:
Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)

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. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.

###

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, color, 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.

  • Design electro-mechanical or hydro-mechanical landing gear for autonomous aircraft
  • Own the full design process: concept, CAD design, analysis, tolerance stackups, material selection, and drawing release
  • Perform structural and kinematic calculations and preliminary FEA
  • Prototype, test, and iterate mechanism designs for functionality and reliability
  • Collaborate with electrical, avionics, hydraulics, and structures teams
  • Support pre-production builds, prototype integration, and ground/flight testing
  • B.S. in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering
  • 7+ years in mechanical or mechanism design
  • Strong CAD skills (NX preferred)
  • Experience with UAVs, aircraft, rotorcraft, or other landable air systems
  • Kinematic analysis and optimization of retractable landing gear systems
  • Knowledge of tire, wheel, and brake selection along with brake control systems
  • Familiarity with nose wheel steering systems
  • Structural analysis utilizing hand calculations and finite element methods
  • FEA analysis: Modal, non-linear and linear, buckling, fatigue
  • GD&T and tolerance stack-ups for mechanical systems
  • Materials selection inclusive of alloys, heat treatments, allowables, and finishes
  • Ability to work independently in fast-paced, cross-functional teams
  • Familiarity with electro-mechanical actuators
  • Proficiency in FMEA, DOE, and root cause analysis
  • Hands-on machine shop or mechanic experience (professional or hobby)
  • RTCA DO-160, MIL-STD-810, structural, actuated mechanism, or AS6053 drop testing experience
  • Ability to thrive in startup, R&D, or defense innovation environments
$110K — 10th pctl $260K — 90th pctl
This role’s midpoint $165K vs. market median $180K for Engineering roles
-10%
below median
Based on 17,000+ Engineering roles with disclosed salary ranges tracked on NewJob.
Shield AI

Shield AI

Defense Tech · Private · San Diego, USA

Stage & Valuation
Private · $12.7B
Key Investors
Andreessen Horowitz, L3Harris, Advent International
Open roles on NewJob
Most hiring in
Engineering (174) · BizOps (23) · Operations (19)
Shield AI is a defense technology company that builds AI pilots and next-generation autonomous aircraft to protect service members and civilians. Their core product is Hivemind, an AI-powered autonomy developer platform for military systems.
Defense Tech Autonomous Systems AI
E
Principal Engineer, AI Infrastructure
San Francisco, CA
Engineering
$320K–$490K
O
Director of AI Operations & Governance
Remote Remote
Operations
$280K–$420K
O
Director of Business Value from Enterprise AI
Remote Remote
Operations
$280K–$420K
See all 200+ roles at Shield AI →
A
Staff Software Engineer, Scaling AI Systems
Abridge AI SF Office Hybrid
Engineering
$228K–$290K
A
Staff Systems Engineer, Functional Safety
Agility Robotics Fremont, CA Hybrid
Engineering
$191K–$248K
A
Staff Controls Engineer, Rocket Motor Systems
Anduril Industries McHenry, Mississippi, United States
Engineering
$129K–$171K
A
Staff Software Engineer, Infrastructure Asset Systems
Anthropic Remote-Friendly (Travel-Required) Remote
Engineering
$320K–$405K
See all Engineering roles →

Interested in this role?

Apply directly on the company site — no recruiter middleman, no account required.

Apply now →
Apply on company site