Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the 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.

Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the 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.

Job Description:

Shield AI is pioneering AI pilots for aircraft that protect service members and civilians—pushing the boundaries of autonomous flight. V-BAT is designed for deployment in the most demanding, high-stakes environments.

We are looking for a failure analysis engineer to join our team, focused on the design, integration and troubleshooting of electronics systems critical to our aircraft. This role is perfect for an engineer with a solid foundation in power systems, embedded systems who is eager to grow, own challenging projects, and see their work move rapidly from concept to flight. If you thrive in fast-paced environments, enjoy solving complex problems, and want to help build the future of autonomous aviation, we want to hear from you.

Job Description:

Shield AI is pioneering AI pilots for aircraft that protect service members and civilians—pushing the boundaries of autonomous flight. V-BAT is designed for deployment in the most demanding, high-stakes environments.

We are looking for a failure analysis engineer to join our team, focused on the design, integration and troubleshooting of electronics systems critical to our aircraft. This role is perfect for an engineer with a solid foundation in power systems, embedded systems who is eager to grow, own challenging projects, and see their work move rapidly from concept to flight. If you thrive in fast-paced environments, enjoy solving complex problems, and want to help build the future of autonomous aviation, we want to hear from you.

What you'll do:

Lead failure analysis investigations for avionics hardware, including: PCBAs (digital, analog, power, mixed-signal), harnesses, connectors, and interconnects
Perform root cause analysis (RCA) using structured methodologies (8D, 5-Why, Fishbone, Fault Tree, etc.)
Conduct and/or oversee electrical, mechanical, and environmental failure analysis
Collaborate with design engineers to identify design vulnerabilities, manufacturing and suppliers on process-related issues
Work closely with cross-functional teams (reliability, mechanical, embedded, software, production, supply chain, etc.)
Drive design, process, and supplier corrective actions to closure
Author clear, data-driven failure analysis reports and present findings to technical and program leadership
Mentor junior engineers and help establish best practices for failure analysis and reliability

Required qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering; or equivalent work experience
You have 8+ years of experience in failure analysis, reliability, or hardware debug for aerospace, defense, or high-reliability electronics
Strong technical fundamentals
Experienced with cross-sectioning, microscopy, X-ray, and other FA techniques
Strong hands-on experience with PCBA failure mechanisms (solder joints, vias, components, PCB materials), Harnesses, connectors, crimping, shielding, and interconnect reliability
Demonstrated track record of extreme ownership, working hard, and delivering outstanding outcomes
A track record of successfully delivery of products and solutions, overcome obstacles, and deliver high-quality solutions to meet project deadlines and exceed expectations in a fast-paced environment
Proactively identify opportunities for improvement within organization, demonstrating initiative to propose and implement
innovative solutions that enhance efficiency, quality, and overall project success and aircraft reliability
Ability to independently drive investigations from symptom to root cause

#LI-JM2

#LD

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.

Staff Engineer, Electrical Failure Analysis (R4593)