Director, Avionics Mechanical Engineering
Shield AI · Seattle, WA
- Level
- Director+
- Team
- Reliability
- Degree
- Required (or equivalent experience)
- Experience asked
- 15+ years
- Industry
- Aerospace & defense
- Posted
- 23 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A director-level reliability role at Shield AI (aerospace & defense) in Seattle, WA. You'll partner with engineering, program, and operations leaders to shape architecture, schedule, and resourcing decisions.
- They ask for
- 15+ years · degree required (or equivalent experience)
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Reliability Engineer roles in Washington: typical posted base $105k–$145k.
Median of the low and high ends of 11 live postings that list pay, out of 18 reliability engineer openings in Washington, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Washington plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 17 other live reliability postings in Washington.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- More than usual (15+ vs 2+)
Typical $105k–$145k, from 11 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 2+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- Python 61%
- Root cause 50%
- Automation 50%
- FMEA 28%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Reliability team at Shield AI
We found 7 people at this company and state: 2 in this kind of role, 5 leaders. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See them ↓
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
Write to Michael → (free) - 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: Shield AI in Seattle
16 other open roles at this site · 7 people we found in reliability roles at Shield AI.
- Senior Engineer, Reliability (R6440) · Reliability · Senior
- Compensation Director, Aircraft Engineering and Manufacturing (R6270) · Manufacturing · Director+
- Head of Aircraft Production (R6147) · Production · Director+
- Head of Aircraft Quality (R6146) · Quality · Director+
- Staff Electrical Specialist - Hardware Test (R6122) · Reliability · Senior
- Engineer I, Quality (R5976) · Quality
Full description from Shield AIAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Required qualifications
- ✓B.S. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering
- ✓15+ years of experience in mechanical design around electronics and electrical systems, including significant early-career, hands-on design of enclosures, thermal solutions, and harness integration
- ✓5+ years of people leadership, including managing managers or leading multiple engineering teams
- ✓Proven record of building and scaling engineering teams through rapid growth
- ✓Record of delivering complex avionics or electro-mechanical hardware from concept through production
- ✓Deep technical fluency in avionics packaging, FEA, thermal analysis, and fatigue and lifecycle testing
- ✓Experience setting engineering strategy, standards, and processes across an organization
- ✓Experience managing relationships with fabrication shops, contract manufacturers, and key suppliers
- ✓Ability to operate in a fast-paced, agile environment with shifting priorities
- ✓A demonstrated record of working hard, being trustworthy, holding yourself to high standards, and being kind to others
- ✓Ability to obtain a Secret security clearance
Preferred qualifications
- ✓Experience leading hardware teams on aircraft, spacecraft, launch vehicles, or defense platforms
- ✓Background in high-rate hardware production, such as satellites, EV power electronics, or autonomous vehicles
- ✓Experience with DO-160, MIL-STD-810, or similar environmental qualification standards
- ✓Degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, or equivalent Engineering
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
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. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
Shield AI is looking for a Director of Avionics Mechanical Engineering to build and lead the organization responsible for all mechanical, thermal, and harnessing (EWIS) design for the X-BAT aircraft and ground equipment. You'll set the technical strategy and organizational structure, develop managers and technical leads, and be accountable for delivering flight-critical electro-mechanical hardware from concept through production. As a senior member of the avionics leadership team, you'll partner with engineering, program, and operations leaders to shape architecture, schedule, and resourcing decisions. Leaders at Shield are expected to have strong technical fundamentals and a real history of hands-on design.
What you’ll do
- •Own the technical vision, strategy, and roadmap for mechanical, thermal, and EWIS engineering across X-BAT flight and ground avionics
- •Build and scale a multi-team organization: hire and develop managers and technical leads, define org structure, and plan headcount to meet near- and long-term program goals
- •Be accountable for your organization's delivery of complex electro-mechanical hardware that survives harsh environments, from architecture through qualification and production
- •Set engineering standards, design review practices, and processes for thermal, mechanical, and harness design of flight-critical avionics
- •Serve as the final technical authority on key mechanical and thermal architecture tradeoffs, and escalate risk to program leadership with clear recommendations
- •Partner with electrical engineering, RF, PCB design, reliability, structures, supply chain, and manufacturing leaders to drive full-scope product delivery
- •Own organizational planning inputs, including resourcing, schedule commitments, supplier and contract manufacturer strategy, and make-vs-buy decisions
- •Build a culture of extreme ownership, technical rigor, and accountability
- •You won't design as an individual contributor. You must have done that work earlier in your career so you can establish what "right" looks like across the organization.