Principal Fuel Systems Engineer (R3300)

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. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

Job Description

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.

You’ll tackle high-impact challenges : enabling efficient long-endurance flight, optimizing aircraft center of gravity, and developing robust, certifiable systems that perform flawlessly in extreme conditions.

On-site or hybrid work is preferred; however, for highly qualified candidates, a remote arrangement may be considered with up to 25% travel.

What you will do in this role

• 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.

Required qualifications

Preferred qualifications

$209,197 - $313,795 a year

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.

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