# Staff Engineer, Propulsion (R5899) at Shield AI

- Company: Shield AI
- What the company does: Autonomy for the world. Backed by a16z.
- Company website: https://shield.ai
- Type: Startups (AI role)
- Level: Senior
- Location: Seattle, Washington
- Work setup: On-site
- Pay: $175K to $263K base salary per year (USD)
- Posted: 2026-09-14
- Apply by: 2026-10-29
- Apply: https://jobs.lever.co/shieldai/502f0aa4-061c-4bc9-83b9-483497308830
- Page: https://www.1752.vc/careers/jobs/shield-ai-staff-engineer-propulsion-r5899/

## About the role

You will serve as a Responsible Engineer (RE) for critical propulsion hardware and capabilities, owning technical execution from requirements and architecture through procurement, integration, build, test, flight, and operational support. This role requires strong propulsion fundamentals, engineering judgment, and the ability to work across engine performance, hardware design, vehicle integration, test, and data analysis while serving as the focal point between suppliers and internal engineering teams.

## What they're looking for

- Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline
- 7+ years of experience in aerospace propulsion development, integration, test, or flight operations, with demonstrated ownership of complex aerospace hardware
- Strong understanding of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, compressible flow, and gas turbine engine performance, including thrust generation, fuel consumption, operability, and transient response
- Hands-on experience with propulsion hardware integration, instrumentation, testing, flight support, and technical failure investigations
- Strong proficiency in Python or similar tools for engineering analysis, data reduction, and model correlation
- Demonstrated ability to independently drive ambiguous technical problems to measurable results in a fast-paced development environment

Tags: X-BAT Engineering - Propulsion