Senior Manager, Aerodynamics Engineering

Introduction to Shield AIShield AI’s mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Shield AI is a fast growing, venture-backed defense-technology company built around a team of proven executives, distinguished warfighters, and world-class AI engineers. Since 2018, Shield AI’s products and people have supported operations around the world with the US Department of Defense and our allies.

The Flight Sciences team focuses on researching and developing state-of-the-art, high-performance vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. As an aerodynamics Engineer on this team, you’ll work on an agile team grounded in first principles to push the boundaries of the state-of-the-art.  
 

What you'll do:

• Design and develop new aircraft geometries and control surface shapes to meet flight efficiency requirements, with a heavy emphasis on 3D CAD and CFD tools 
• Analyze aerodynamic performance across a large array of air vehicle designs via CAD, low fidelity tools, CFD, ground test and flight test experiments 
• Generate structural loads including lift and drag distributions for wings, propellers, control surfaces and other aerodynamic surfaces 
• Collaborate with and present findings to other internal functional teams and program-based teams 
• Develop and operate vehicle performance tools   

Required qualifications:

• Master’s degree or a PhD with 5-8 years professional experience related to aircraft development or aerodynamic design 
• Experience partnering with a multidisciplinary engineering team, including mechanical, electrical, propulsion, software, and AI disciplines 
• Solid understanding of aerodynamic fundamentals, CFD techniques, and wind tunnel testing 
• Experience with aerodynamic tools and techniques, e.g. vortex-lattice, panel-method, etc. 
• Experience with Pointwise or similar CFD software tools 
• Experience with Matlab or Python for data analysis Familiarity with translating aerodynamic analyses into workable design solutions for flight vehicles 
• Familiarity with lofting/surfacing tools in Solidworks (or equivalent CAD software tools) for generating water-tight geometries 
• Passion for solving complex problems in a fast-moving environment 
• Demonstrated record of working hard, strong communication skills, being a trustworthy teammate, and being kind to others 

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience with aeroacoustics analysis 
• Experience with low-speed airfoil design 
• Experience with wind tunnel testing 
• Experience with aeroelasticity and flutter analysis 

Salary Range:  Base + Bonus + Benefits + Equity (if applicable)Actual 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. Information on the benefits offered is here. All offers are contingent on a cleared background check.
If you're interested in being part of our team, apply now! 
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.  To conform to U.S. Government regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.