Staff Engineer, Flight Test; R6064

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.

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As a Hivemind Solutions Staff Integration & Flight Test Engineer (ACP Programs), you will serve as a key contributor for the integration, verification, and flight test of Hivemind AI Pilot capabilities on Group 5 UAS/Autonomous Collaborative Platforms (ACP).

You will translate program objectives into executable integration and flight test plans across multiple test environments. Using disciplined test, analysis, and feedback methodologies, you will drive rapid capability maturation while maintaining rigorous safety, configuration control, and mission assurance standards.

This role serves as the technical contributor for integration and flight test execution on assigned ACP programs, responsible for coordinating test readiness, managing technical and safety risk, and leading day-to-day test execution. Here, you will serve as the primary focal point to facilitate coordination across internal program leadership and functional teams, OEM partners, and government customers and stakeholders to deliver high-impact autonomy capabilities cessful candidates are curious engineers who use disciplined integration and flight test to generate knowledge, reduce technical risk, and accelerate delivery of operational capability.

• Develop and execute detailed integration and flight test plans that support the overall program verification and test strategy across simulation, SIL, HIL, ground, and flight test environments
• Coordinate readiness of simulation environments, integration laboratories, aircraft, and flight test assets required to execute program objectives
• Apply aviation knowledge, aircraft performance and operational mission understanding to develop safe, efficient, and operationally relevant integration and flight test plans
• Define test objectives, performance metrics, and success criteria, ensuring traceability from requirements to test outcomes and operational capability
• Lead and support aircraft integration and flight test activities, including system configuration, software integration, mission planning, real-time troubleshooting, flight execution support, and post-flight data analysis
• Coordinate with platform OEMs, government ranges, and flight operations personnel to establish test readiness criteria and ensure technical and safety requirements are satisfied prior to test execution
• Coordinate cross-functional execution across software, hardware, systems engineering, flight operations, safety, and program leadership teams
• Evaluate test results, identify technical issues, and recommend corrective actions to improve system performance and accelerate capability maturation

• Typically requires 8+ years of experience with a Bachelor's degree, or 6+ years with a Master's
• Demonstrated experience planning, conducting, and evaluating flight test of aircraft systems in military or defense aviation environments
• Strong understanding of safety-of-flight principles, risk management, and disciplined test execution in aviation environments
• Demonstrated understanding of aircraft performance, flight operations, and environmental effects influencing aircraft mission planning, test execution, and safety
• Experience with system-level verification &…