Staff Technical Program Manager, Air Vehicle Systems (R6044)

Job Description: Shield AI is seeking an engineering manager of Mechanical Design to support the development of our next-generation autonomous UAV platform. In this high-ownership, high visibility role you will lead a team of engineers developing mechanical systems to support Shield AI’s next generation aircraft program(s).    You will work the director of engineering in a deputy capacity to support collaboration across engineering sites, align technical leaders, create mentorship opportunities for junior engineers, and assist in leveling engineering resources across vehicles and programs.    You will set the bar for excellence through technical demonstration, guidance, and mentorship.   

What you'll do:

Partner with air vehicle systems Responsible Engineers and technical leads to plan and execute development activities across aircraft subsystems, interfaces, integration, verification, and test.

Build and maintain integrated air vehicle systems schedules, dependencies, and execution plans aligned with vehicle-level milestones and flight-readiness objectives.

Coordinate with the teams responsible for flight controls, avionics, electrical power, thermal and fluid systems, mechanical systems, structures, landing gear, manufacturing, supply chain, and flight test.

Understand the technical basis behind system designs, requirements, interfaces, and verification approaches; identify cross-system dependencies, surface risks, and drive mitigation plans.

Partner with system REs to manage air vehicle systems suppliers and external development partners, including schedule tracking, technical coordination, interface closure, and delivery performance.

Translate complex technical work into clear status, risks, decisions, actions, and execution plans, and facilitate technical reviews, integration checkpoints, and test-readiness discussions.

Support aircraft build, ground test, flight test, and development campaigns by coordinating resources, schedules, technical deliverables, and issue resolution.

Drive accountability and measurable outcomes while maintaining strong working relationships with Responsible Engineers and the broader engineering team.

Required qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field.

7+ years of experience in technical program management, systems engineering, or engineering leadership in aerospace or complex hardware development environments.

Experience coordinating cross-functional aircraft subsystem teams and a working technical understanding of requirements, interfaces, design maturation, verification, hardware testing, and system integration.

Demonstrated ability to understand underlying technical solutions, connect system-level dependencies, and work effectively with Responsible Engineers and technical leads.

Demonstrated ability to manage schedules, technical risks, decisions, dependencies, and program execution in fast-paced development environments.

Experience working with suppliers and managing external development partners, technical deliverables, and delivery performance.

Strong communication skills; ability to translate complex technical work into clear program-level execution plans, status, risks, and actions. Ability to work with export-controlled ITAR data is required; U.S. citizenship or other authorization sufficient for the applicable ITAR access is expected.

Preferred qualifications:

Prior experience working across multiple aircraft subsystems, such as flight controls, avionics, electrical power, thermal and fluid systems, mechanical systems, structures, or landing gear, on UAV, tactical aircraft, or other complex aircraft development programs.

Background supporting test-driven aerospace development programs, including hardware build, integration, ground test, and flight test.

Familiarity with aircraft systems engineering practices, requirements and interface management, verification planning, and flight-readiness processes.

Familiarity with program management tools such as JIRA, Smartsheet, or similar planning tools.

Demonstrated ability to operate in high-ownership, hardware-centric engineering environments.

Ability to obtain a Secret or higher security clearance is preferred; a clearance is not required for this role. An advanced degree in engineering or a related technical discipline is a plus.