Senior Propulsion Engineer (Jet)
Shield AI
Dallas County, TX, USA
Posted on Jun 20, 2025
Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent, autonomous systems. Its products include Hivemind Enterprise—EdgeOS, Pilot, Commander, and Forge—as well as V-BAT and Sentient Vision Systems (wide-area motion imaging software). With offices in San Diego, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Abu Dhabi (UAE), Kyiv (Ukraine), and Melbourne (Australia), Shield AI’s technology actively supports U.S. and allied operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X and Instagram.
Job Description:
We are seeking a Senior Propulsion Engineer to serve as the Responsible Engineer (RE) for a low-bypass turbofan engine that will power our next-generation UAV platform. This role demands full lifecycle ownership of the engine from architecture and integration through test, flight, performance validation, and operational support.
You will serve as the focal point for all technical matters related to the engine, ensuring it delivers the required performance, integrates cleanly with the vehicle, and supports the full range of operational demands. This role is hands-on, analysis-driven, and highly cross-functional—requiring collaboration with design, controls, airframe, flight test, and mission teams.
What you will do in this role:
- Own the engine from concept through flight as the RE, responsible for technical decisions and integration.
- Define engine requirements, interfaces, and performance objectives.
- Lead ground and flight test activities, including instrumentation, data acquisition, and performance validation.
- Analyze engine data across flight regimes and identify issues or margin gaps.
- Coordinate with system teams to align engine performance with vehicle needs and mission objectives.
- Lead root cause investigations and implement design/test corrections.
- Support development of engine control logic and transient tuning strategies.
- Represent the engine in technical reviews, customer interactions, and readiness assessments.
Required qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
- 5+ years of experience in jet engine development, integration, and test.
- Demonstrated ownership of hardware through test and flight operations.
- Strong fundamentals in engine performance, thrust modeling, operability, and transient behavior.
- Proficiency in Python for performance analysis and data modeling.
- Experience in test environments with instrumentation and data acquisition systems.
- U.S. Citizenship or ability to comply with ITAR requirements.
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience with low-bypass turbofan engines on UAVs or tactical platforms.
- Familiarity with GFSSP, REFPROP, ANSYS, or FEA.
- Experience with engine control development or feedback tuning.
- Background in rocket engines is a plus.
- M.S. or Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
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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.
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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.
