Staff Engineer, Flight Test (R6064)

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. 

What you'll do:

Develop and execute detailed integration and flight test plans that support the overall program verification and test strategy across simulation, SIL, HIL, ground, and flight test environments 

Coordinate readiness of simulation environments, integration laboratories, aircraft, and flight test assets required to execute program objectives 

Apply aviation knowledge, aircraft performance and operational mission understanding to develop safe, efficient, and operationally relevant integration and flight test plans 

Define test objectives, performance metrics, and success criteria, ensuring traceability from requirements to test outcomes and operational capability 

Lead and support aircraft integration and flight test activities, including system configuration, software integration, mission planning, real-time troubleshooting, flight execution support, and post-flight data analysis 

Coordinate with platform OEMs, government ranges, and flight operations personnel to establish test readiness criteria and ensure technical and safety requirements are satisfied prior to test execution 

Coordinate cross-functional execution across software, hardware, systems engineering, flight operations, safety, and program leadership teams 

Evaluate test results, identify technical issues, and recommend corrective actions to improve system performance and accelerate capability maturation 

Required qualifications:

Typically requires 8+ years of experience with a Bachelor’s degree, or 6+ years with a Master’s 

Demonstrated experience planning, conducting, and evaluating flight test of aircraft systems in military or defense aviation environments 

Strong understanding of safety-of-flight principles, risk management, and disciplined test execution in aviation environments 

Demonstrated understanding of aircraft performance, flight operations, and environmental effects influencing aircraft mission planning, test execution, and safety 

Experience with system-level verification & validation across multiple test environments (SIL, HIL, simulation, and flight) 

Experience working cross-functionally across software, hardware, avionics, systems engineering, safety, and program teams 

Experience with scripting or software tools (Python preferred) for test automation, data analysis, or system validation 

Ability to effectively communicate with pilots, operators, and engineers to develop executable flight test objectives, mission plans, and risk mitigations 

Excellent technical leadership and communication skills, including briefing to program leadership and external customers 

Ability to obtain and maintain a SECRET clearance; U.S. citizenship required 

Preferred qualifications:

Military aviation experience as aircrew, flight test engineer, mission systems operator, or engineer supporting military aircraft development or test programs 

Prior role as Flight Test Director, Test Conductor, or Lead Flight Test Engineer on full-scale aircraft programs 

Understanding of military air operations, mission planning, and Concepts of Operations (CONOPS) supporting autonomous aircraft employment 

Experience supporting Autonomous Collaborative Platforms (ACP), loyal wingman concepts, or multi-vehicle autonomous systems 

Familiarity with DoD acquisition and developmental test processes 

Experience operating in or supporting government flight test ranges and operational environments 

Background in autonomy, AI/ML-enabled …