Senior Manager, Mechanical Engineering - Avionics (R4416)

Shield AI is hiring a Senior Manager, Mechanical Engineering - Avionics (R4416) in Seattle, United States. It pays $220k-$330k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Shield AI.

Level's read on this job

On Level's scale, this role is Little AI ●○○○: aI is not part of the work.
Level classes it as a senior role.
Shield AI has 663 other open roles on Level.

AI in this role

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:

Lead the team responsible for the architecture and design for all mechanical, thermal, and EWIS elements of ground and flight avionics on the X-BAT program
Take ownership of a small team of thermal, mechanical, and EWIS engineers, establish leads and sub-managers, and grow the team to support program goals in the immediate and long term
While you will not be expected to design as an individual contributor, you must have this experience in your past to establish what "right" looks like for your organization
Develop standards and processes for thermal and mechanical engineering of critical avionics hardware
Partner closely with electrical engineering, RF, PCB design, reliability, supply chain, structures, manufacturing and other disciplines to drive full scope product delivery
Own your team's output of complex electro-mechanical solutions for flight critical avionics systems that withstand harsh environments

Required qualifications:

B.S. in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering
10+ years of experience in mechanical design around electronics and electrical systems
Strong experience in CAD software (NX, SolidWorks, CATIA, or similar) for 3D modeling, drawing creation, and system layout
Experience working with electrical engineers to develop avionics packaging
Experience with finite element analysis (FEA), thermal analysis, and fatigue/lifecycle testing
Experience working directly with fabrication shops, contract manufacturers, and suppliers
Ability to work in a fast-paced, agile development environment with evolving priorities
A demonstrated record of working hard, being trustworthy, holding yourself to high standards, and being kind to others
Ability to obtain a Secret level security clearance

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 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.

How we rate this

Senior Manager, Mechanical Engineering - Avionics (R4416) at Shield AI rates 35 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Little AI (AI Level 1 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.

Classification

Little AI. AI is not part of the work.

●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
●○○○ Little AI0 to 39

Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.

Key facts

Senior Manager, Mechanical Engineering - Avionics (R4416) is an open job at Shield AI.
Level rates this role AI Level 1 of 4: Little AI.
The listed salary is $220k-$330k a year.
The role is based in Seattle, Washington.
The job was posted on June 12, 2026.
Seniority: senior.
Applications are handled by Shield AI. Apply on Shield AI