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Staff Engineer, Industrial

Shield AI · Seattle, WA

Apply on Shield AI ↗
Level
Senior
Team
Industrial
Degree
Required
Experience asked
8+ years
Certification
Black Belt preferred
Industry
Aerospace & defense
Posted
30+ days ago

The role in 30 seconds

A senior industrial role at Shield AI (aerospace & defense) in Seattle, WA. In this role, you will lead factory and production system design, including facility layouts, material flow, line balancing, capacity planning, and production readiness.

They ask for
8+ years · degree required · Black Belt preferred
Tools it names
Lean, Six Sigma, Black Belt, Green Belt, 5S, Value stream mapping

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026

Industrial Engineer roles in the US: typical posted base $86k–$125k.

Median of the low and high ends of 69 live postings that list pay, out of 260 industrial engineer openings in the US, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.

Washington plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →

How this role compares

Against 259 other live industrial postings in the US.

Base pay
Not listed in this posting

Typical $86k–$125k, from 68 postings that list pay.

Experience asked
More than usual (8+ vs 5+)

Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.

Skills these teams ask for most

  • ✓ Lean 62%
  • ✓ Time studies 43%
  • ✓ New product launch 38%
  • ✓ Six Sigma 37%
  • ✓ AutoCAD 27%
  • Root cause 27%

✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.

Stands out: this posting asks for Kanban, ISO 9001, AS9100, Robotics, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.

It asks for 8+ years. If you're close, apply anyway: requirements are a wish list. Talk to someone doing this work there first.

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. 1

    Pick 2–3 people on the Industrial team at Shield AI

    Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.

  2. 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.

  3. 3

    Turn a reply into a short call

    Questions worth asking about this team:

    • What does a normal week look like on your team?
    • Is it more layout and capacity work, or time studies and standard work?
    • The posting mentions a Black Belt. Does the company sponsor certification?
    • How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
  4. 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. 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.

All 17 roles at Shield AI →
Full description from Shield AIAs posted on their careers site.Show

What you'll do

Lead factory layout development, production line design, and manufacturing system optimization for new and existing production programs.

Support the planning and execution of greenfield manufacturing facilities, including factory master planning, space allocation, utility requirements, equipment placement, production flow, and long-term capacity planning.

Develop manufacturing concepts from initial factory planning through production launch, ensuring scalability, flexibility, and operational efficiency.

Design and optimize material flow, point-of-use storage, supermarkets, kitting strategies, replenishment systems, tugger routes, and warehouse logistics.

Develop detailed 2D factory layouts and 3D manufacturing models, including equipment placement, utilities, workstations, safety zones, production support infrastructure, and future expansion plans.

Perform capacity planning, line balancing, takt time analysis, labor planning, buffer sizing, and bottleneck analysis to achieve production targets.

Conduct time studies, ergonomic assessments, spaghetti diagrams, and workflow analyses to improve productivity and eliminate waste.

Develop manufacturing standards for material presentation, packaging, FIFO management, visual controls, workstation design, and factory operating standards.

Lead cross-functional factory design reviews with Manufacturing Engineering, Production, Facilities, Supply Chain, Quality, EHS, and Program Management.

Utilize discrete-event simulation tools to model production throughput, identify constraints, validate factory designs, and optimize manufacturing strategies before implementation.

Support facility construction, equipment installation, tape-outs, utility coordination, commissioning, and production readiness activities during factory launches.

Drive Lean Manufacturing initiatives including 5S, visual management, standardized work, continuous improvement, and value stream optimization.

Develop and maintain factory design standards, launch playbooks, production system guidelines, and manufacturing best practices to support future factory expansions and replication.

Required qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

8+ years of experience in industrial engineering, factory design, manufacturing systems, production planning, advanced manufacturing engineering, or greenfield facility development.

Experience designing factory layouts, production lines, and scalable manufacturing systems for complex products.

Experience supporting greenfield manufacturing projects, facility expansions, or major production line launches.

Strong understanding of manufacturing processes including machining, composites, electrical assemblies, precision mechanical assemblies, and final integration.

Experience supporting production ramp-up, new product introduction (NPI), and manufacturing process development.

Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional projects in a fast-paced, high-growth manufacturing environment.

Excellent analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills.

Preferred qualifications

Aerospace, defense, automotive, or advanced manufacturing industry experience.

Experience leading greenfield factory development, factory relocation, or major manufacturing expansion projects.

Knowledge of AS9100, ISO 9001, or other regulated manufacturing environments.

Experience with automated material handling systems, robotics, AGVs/AMRs, automated storage systems, or Industry 4.0 technologies.

Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Black Belt, or equivalent continuous improvement certification.

Show full description ↓

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.

Job Description

We are seeking a highly motivated Staff Advance Industrial Engineer to design, optimize, and scale world-class manufacturing systems for advanced aerospace products. In this role, you will lead factory and production system design, including facility layouts, material flow, line balancing, capacity planning, and production readiness. You will also play a critical role in planning and executing greenfield manufacturing facilities, developing factory concepts from the ground up, including production layouts, infrastructure requirements, equipment planning, material flow strategies, and manufacturing standards.

Partnering with Manufacturing Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Facilities, Quality, EHS, and Program Management, you will develop efficient, scalable, and data-driven manufacturing solutions that enable rapid production growth. This is a high-impact role responsible for transforming manufacturing concepts into production-ready factories while driving safety, quality, throughput, and operational excellence.

Tools & Skills

AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Revit, Visio, or equivalent CAD/layout software

Siemens Plant Simulation, FlexSim, AnyLogic, or equivalent discrete-event simulation software

Time studies, MTM/MOST, work measurement, and labor analysis

Capacity modeling, line balancing, takt planning, and production system design

Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Value Stream Mapping (VSM), 5S, Kanban, and Visual Management

Material flow analysis, warehouse and logistics design

Factory master planning and facility layout development

Strong analytical, project management, and cross-functional leadership skills

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