Staff Engineering Specialist, Avionics (R5109)
Shield AI · Seattle, WA
- Level
- Senior
- Team
- Manufacturing
- Experience asked
- 2+ years
- Industry
- Aerospace & defense
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A senior manufacturing role at Shield AI (aerospace & defense) in Seattle, WA. It is an essential role spanning design, verification, procurement, manufacturing, and test.
- They ask for
- 2+ years
- Tools it names
- Root cause
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Manufacturing Engineer roles in Washington: typical posted base $103k–$145k.
Median of the low and high ends of 23 live postings that list pay, out of 39 manufacturing 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 38 other live manufacturing postings in Washington.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- Less than usual (2+ vs 3+)
Typical $100k–$135k, from 20 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 3+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- Tooling 62%
- ✓ Root cause 49%
- Automation 38%
- Lean 31%
- New product launch 31%
- Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 23%
✓ = 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 Manufacturing team at Shield AI
We found 1 person at this company and state: 1 in this kind of role. 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 Bryan → (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?
- Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
- How much time do you spend on the floor versus at a desk?
- 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 · 1 person we found in manufacturing roles at Shield AI.
- Compensation Director, Aircraft Engineering and Manufacturing (R6270) · Manufacturing · Director+
- Director, Avionics Mechanical Engineering · Reliability · 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
What you'll do
- ◆Set up and execute test campaigns for custom circuits and sub-systems such as verifying logic levels, voltage rails, and basic circuit functions
- ◆Support engineers through environmental qualification that includes temperature, vibration, altitude, humidity, etc.
- ◆Debug and root cause system and circuit issues
- ◆Design, verify, and deploy simple PCBAs
- ◆Architect, design, and build complex wire harnesses and cable assemblies
- ◆Assist with equipment procurement, set up lab space, and help set up prototype avionics manufacturing
- ◆Capture results detailed and clear documentation
Required qualifications
- ✓2+ years' experience working in an electrical engineering environment and using test equipment such as an oscilloscope, multimeter, thermal chamber, etc.
- ✓Proficiency reading electrical circuit schematics and applying them to root cause analysis
- ✓Hands-on experience with harness design and build
- ✓Familiarity with CAD software such as Altium or equivalent
- ✓Familiarity with a PLM system such as Arena or equivalent
- ✓Ability to work independently and lead in fast-paced, cross-functional teams
- ✓A demonstrated record of working hard, being trustworthy, holding yourself to high standards, and being kind to others
- ✓Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance desired.
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 growing the Avionics Engineering team to support development of the X-BAT aircraft. Our team is designing a flight critical, custom avionics system to support communications, compute, AI, power, telemetry, and all other needed aircraft systems.
An Avionics Specialist supports the entire Avionics team and other cross-functional teams. It is an essential role spanning design, verification, procurement, manufacturing, and test.