Senior Staff Engineer, Structural Analysis

About the role

Senior Staff Structural Analyst at Shield AI

Shield AI operates at the intersection of defense technology and mission assurance. The company develops and deploys autonomous systems to protect military personnel and civilian populations. Its portfolio includes the Hivemind autonomy software suite, V-BAT and X-BAT vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality platforms. These technologies are fielded across multiple global regions including the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific.

Position Overview

The Senior Staff Structural Analyst provides advanced technical leadership for the structural analysis and validation of next-generation unmanned aerial vehicle platforms. This position requires ownership of airframe structural strategy, complex analysis execution, and rigorous test correlation. The role ensures structural integrity from early development through flight testing and into production scaling. You will act as a principal subject matter expert guiding critical design decisions and shaping program direction.

This role is suited for an experienced engineer with twelve to fifteen years or more in structural analysis. You have a history of leading major structural workstreams on aerospace programs. You are responsible for analysis execution, mentoring technical staff, and influencing trade studies. You translate program level objectives into detailed analysis plans that maintain project schedules and technical performance.

Location and Engagement

This position is based in Dallas, Texas. The role is a full time employee position. The compensation for this role is $190,000.00 on an annual basis.

Key Responsibilities

You will orchestrate the intake of structural requirements and translate them into analysis scope and validation criteria for aircraft concepts. This includes defining the boundary conditions and load cases that govern airframe behavior. You will construct detailed finite element models and simulation cases that represent airframe response under diverse flight and mission profiles.

You will coordinate review cycles with design and test teams to align simulation predictions with physical evidence and program expectations. You will generate analysis driven insights that guide configuration decisions and support flight test objectives. You will partner with suppliers and integrators to verify structural compatibility, data integrity, and shared understanding of requirements.

You will lead the definition and enforcement of structural standards and best practices across simulation workflows and analysis disciplines. You will drive the application of model based methods to reduce technical risk, clarify key assumptions, and improve confidence in predictions. You will champion the use of analysis results to influence trade studies, certification activities, and long term product decisions.

Required Qualifications

You bring twelve to fifteen years of structural analysis experience on demanding aerospace initiatives. You have led major structural workstreams, owning analysis execution and mentoring engineers on complex programs. You possess fluency in aircraft concepts, certification approaches, and the implications of design decisions on survivability and performance.

You can clearly communicate tradeoffs to both technical specialists and executive stakeholders. Your experience includes a demonstrated ability to manage analysis activities in challenging program environments. You understand the structural implications of mission requirements and operational conditions.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with defense programs and related compliance expectations is a plus. Familiarity with military specifications and applicable structural certification standards is beneficial. Knowledge of current defense acquisition environments and lifecycle processes adds further value.

Tools and Methods

Your work will use Shield AI technologies including the Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT aircraft, X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. You will apply industry standard analysis tools to model structural behavior and validate performance. You will utilize digital workflows to manage traceability from requirements to simulation results and test data.

Practical Information

Please for this role. Verify application procedures and submission materials directly with the Shield AI recruitment team. This page provides a summary of the position and does not replace official instructions.