Principal Fuel Systems Engineer (R3300)

About Shield AI

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 aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With nine offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide.

Job Summary

Shield AI is seeking a Principal Fuel Systems Engineer to lead architecture, development, and validation of fuel systems for advanced AI-powered aircraft. In this role, you’ll own the full lifecycle of fuel system design—from concept through flight testing—while mentoring others and driving technical excellence across our growing air vehicle portfolio.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect end-to-end fuel systems including storage, transfer, venting, and pressurization for next-gen autonomous aircraft.
• Lead cross-functional integration between propulsion, structures, avionics, and thermal teams to ensure optimal system performance.
• Conduct system-level modeling and analysis to predict flow behavior, vapor suppression, slosh dynamics, and thermal effects.
• Define performance requirements and verification strategies for high-reliability components and assemblies.
• Lead design reviews, technical trade studies, and risk assessments for critical systems.
• Oversee supplier selection, qualification, and acceptance testing for pumps, valves, tanks, and sensors.
• Support and guide ground and flight test campaigns; perform root-cause analysis for system anomalies.
• Mentor engineers, establish best practices, and develop processes for system integration and testing.
• Contribute to long-term technology roadmaps, including hybrid-electric and alternative fuel system architectures.

Requirements

• B.S. or M.S. in Aerospace, Mechanical, or related engineering discipline.
• 12–15+ years of experience in aircraft fuel systems, aerospace fluids, or propulsion integration.
• Demonstrated expertise with fuel system design, analysis, and certification for manned or unmanned aircraft.
• Deep understanding of fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and CFD principles.
• Proficiency with analysis and modeling tools (ANSYS Fluent, OpenFOAM, MATLAB/Simulink) and CAD software (NX, CATIA, or SolidWorks).
• Strong technical leadership.