Staff Engineer, Aircraft Thermal Systems - Ranger (R6351)

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-BATaircraft, 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 Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

Job Description:

As a Staff (L4) Aircraft Thermal Systems Engineer, you will take full technical ownership of thermal analysis, design, and vehicle integration for a Group 5 UAV fighter aircraft. You will work from first principles to characterize aircraft-level thermal environments, evaluate heat-transfer pathways, develop cooling solutions, correlate analytical and computational models, and deliver robust thermal systems and hardware in a rapid-iteration development environment. This position requires a balance of technical rigor, rapid decision-making, and hands‑on engineering to efficiently transition concepts into operational capability. The ideal candidate is comfortable solving complex problems, taking ownership, working within an accelerated aircraft development environment, and is motivated by getting meaningful capability into the hands of operators quickly.

What you'll do:

• Thermal System Ownership: Define and mature aircraft‑level thermal environments and thermal management solutions for vehicle bays, hot surfaces, and other thermal‑critical installations.
• Thermal Analysis and Modeling: Perform first‑principles heat transfer and fluid mechanics calculations, then develop analytical, finite‑difference, and CFD models to characterize conduction, convection, radiation, and coupled thermal‑fluid behavior.
• Cooling System Design: Design and evaluate active and passive cooling solutions, including heat‑rejection paths, airflow, ducting, thermal interfaces, and hardware needed to manage vehicle thermal loads.
• Requirements and Risk Management: Generate thermal requirements, assess technical risks, and develop actionable design recommendations that balance thermal performance with vehicle power, mass, volume, maintainability, and integration constraints.
• Vehicle and Hardware Integration: Develop thermal hardware layouts and CAD models, and resolve interfaces with structures, avionics, fluid systems, EWIS, and adjacent mechanical systems.
• Test and Validation: Define qualification and verification test plans, design test rigs, support instrumentation and data acquisition, and correlate analytical and computational models with test data.
• Hardware and Supplier Execution: Author technical specifications and statements of work for thermal hardware, evaluate suppliers, and drive supplier technical execution through prototype build and test.
• Qualification and Hardware Delivery: Define and execute qualification test plans per MIL‑STD‑810, using results to mature the design into production‑ready hardware and support MIL‑HDBK‑516 Airworthiness Certification.
• Technical Leadership: Communicate thermal findings through design reviews and technical reports, guide cross‑disciplinary teams in applying thermal and fluid fundamentals, and influence vehicle‑level thermal design decisions.

Required qualifications:

• Clearance required: US Citizens Only & Must have an Active Secret or higher clearance.
• Experience: 7 to 12 years of direct experience in aerospace thermal engineering, environmental control systems, or vehicle thermal and fluid system development.
• Education: B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Core Fundamentals: Deep mastery of thermodynamics, heat transfer, and fluid dynamics applied to aircraft or defense systems.
• Modeling and Analysis: Demonstrated capability with first‑principles hand calculations, finite‑difference methods, and CFD or thermal‑analysis tools such as FloEFD, STAR‑CCM+, Thermal Desktop, or equivalent.
• Thermal System Design: Demonstrated ability to design active and passive cooling solutions and manage thermal environments for aircraft bays, engine bays, hot surfaces, or comparable aerospace installations.
• CAD and PLM: Experience in 3D CAD modeling, thermal hardware layout, routing, and drawing release with Siemens NX, CATIA, Creo, SolidWorks, or equivalent PLM workflows.
• Hardware and Supplier Execution: Proven track record sourcing COTS/custom aerospace components, driving suppliers to schedule, and assembling benchtop or vehicle‑level test setups.
• Autonomy: Demonstrated ability to self‑direct, prioritize technical tasks without oversight, and deliver functional hardware under tight timelines.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience with high‑altitude aircraft thermal management, analysis, and design.
• Hands‑on experience with thermal and fluid system testing, instrumentation, data acquisition, and validation.
• Knowledge of materials and manufacturing methods relevant to aerospace thermal management.
• Background in multi‑disciplinary system integration spanning avionics, fluid systems, and systems engineering.
• Familiarity with aerospace environmental and airworthiness requirements and test standards, including MIL‑STD‑810, MIL‑HDBK‑310, RTCA DO‑160, and SAE AIR or ARP standards.

$170,000 - $260,000 a year

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 toequal 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.