Staff Engineer, Landing Gear Systems (R5372)

As a Principal Landing Gear Engineer, you will contribute to the mechanical design and development of Shield AI's autonomous UAV products. You will architect landing gear on next-generation unmanned aerial platforms, perform detailed design of landing gear, doors and related mechanisms, and use best-in-class design and analysis tools. You will collaborate with internal and external partners to prototype, test, and release products to production, ensuring performance, schedule, and reliability goals are met.

Responsibilities

• 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

Requirements

• 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

Nice to have

• 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

Benefits

• Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
• Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)