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. 

Job Description:

We are growing the Avionics Engineering team to support the development, integration, test, production, and field support of flight-critical aircraft systems. Our team is responsible for avionics hardware and electrical systems that support communications, compute, autonomy, power, telemetry, sensors, and other mission-critical aircraft functions.

You will directly supervise a team of professional and skilled engineering technicians supporting integration, testing, debugging. This role is both a hands-on technical leadership position and a people leadership position. You will execute assignments based on defined objectives and established processes while providing guidance, mentorship, and daily direction to the technician team.

You will work closely with electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, production, quality, supply chain, maintenance technicians, flight support team members, subordinate supervisors, and cross-functional peers to ensure avionics hardware is built, tested, debugged, documented, and supported safely and effectively. This role requires the ability to read and interpret harness schematics, PCBA schematics, wiring diagrams, engineering drawings, test procedures, and work instructions.

The ideal candidate is a technically credible leader who can guide a team through complex, high-consequence avionics work; embed training into daily execution; analyze data and relevant factors; exercise sound judgment; interpret policies and procedures.

What you'll do:

• Directly supervise professional and skilled engineering technicians supporting avionics system testing, integration, debugging, production support, maintenance support, and flight support activities.
• Execute team assignments based on defined objectives, approved processes, engineering direction, production priorities, and program schedules.
• Read, interpret, and apply harness schematics, PCBA schematics, wiring diagrams, interface control documents, engineering drawings, test procedures, work instructions, and production documentation.
• Support avionics integration and test activities from bench-level checkout through subsystem, aircraft, production, maintenance, and flight-support environments.
• Work closely with engineers to support hardware bring-up, design verification, test execution, root-cause investigations, corrective actions, and design or process improvements.
• Partner with production teams to resolve build issues, installation problems, test failures, rework needs, hardware readiness concerns, and schedule constraints.
• Collaborate with quality teams to ensure work complies with inspection requirements, workmanship standards, configuration control expectations, nonconformance processes, and approved procedures.
• Coordinate with supply chain teams to communicate material shortages, suspect hardware, part replacement needs, supplier issues, and impacts to build, test, or flight-readiness schedules.
• Support maintenance technicians and flight support team members during aircraft checkout, avionics troubleshooting, system modification, ground test, and flight readiness activities.
• Administer company policies and procedures directly affecting employees, including expectations related to safety, quality, attendance, work assignments, training, performance, compliance, and conduct.
• Interpret policies, procedures, and work instructions to determine appropriate action when resolving routine employee, operational, quality, or technical execution issues.
• Analyze data and relevant factors, including test results, failure trends, technician workload, schedule performance, hardware status, quality findings, material availability, and operational risks.
• Develop, manage, and adjust routine operational plans to support daily priorities, weekly execution, production needs, integration milestones, maintenance activities, flight support, and monthly targets.
• Use and oversee use of electrical and avionics test equipment, including multimeters, oscilloscopes, power supplies, signal generators, breakout boxes, bus analyzers, automated test equipment, and related lab or production tools.
• Drive continuous improvement in technician training, troubleshooting methods, test procedures, documentation quality, tooling, workflow, and operational execution.

Required qualifications:

• 6+ years of hands-on experience with avionics systems, aircraft electrical systems, electronics, harnesses, PCBAs, integrated test environments, or complex hardware systems.
• 2+ years of experience directly supervising, leading, training, or coordinating skilled technicians in an engineering, production, test, aerospace, aviation, maintenance, or advanced manufacturing environment.
• Ability to read and interpret harness schematics, PCBA schematics, wiring diagrams, engineering drawings, test procedures, and work instructions.
• Experience performing avionics or electrical troubleshooting across wiring, connectors, PCBAs, power systems, sensors, communication interfaces, test equipment, and integrated systems.
• Experience using electrical and avionics test equipment such as multimeters, oscilloscopes, power supplies, signal generators, analyzers, breakout boxes, and automated test systems.
• Demonstrated ability to provide guidance and training to technicians during hands-on technical work.
• Demonstrated ability to execute assignments based on defined objectives, established processes, schedule priorities, and operational targets.
• Experience administering workplace policies, reinforcing safety and quality standards, and supporting employee performance expectations.
• Ability to analyze technical data, test results, operational constraints, schedule risks, quality findings, and resource availability to determine appropriate next steps.
• Sound judgment in prioritizing work, assigning resources, escalating risks, and making decisions within defined objectives and processes.
• Ability to work effectively with engineering, production, quality, supply chain, maintenance technicians, flight support team members, subordinate supervisors, and functional peers.

#LI-AD6 #LC
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.