Staff Engineer, Industrial
Shield AI · Seattle, WA
- 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
- Experience asked
- More than usual (8+ vs 5+)
Typical $86k–$125k, from 68 postings that list pay.
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.
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 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
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
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
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
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Full description from Shield AIAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
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 ↓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.
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
