Staff Engineer, Field Support - X-BAT Aircraft Systems (R5081) at Shield AI

Job 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: The Field Support Engineer, X-BAT Aircraft Systems is a senior, customer-facing technical authority supporting Shield AI's X-BAT program, an AI-piloted VTOL fighter advancing runway-independent autonomous airpower for expeditionary, maritime, and contested environments. This role sustains readiness by resolving aircraft, mission system, avionics, propulsion, launch/recovery, ground support, and configuration issues across test, demonstration, deployment, and field operations. The ideal candidate is a proven aircraft or UAS maintainer who can operate independently, communicate under pressure, and move technical issues from field discovery through disciplined closure using engineering data, product definition information, and structured support workflows. What you'll do: X-BAT Aircraft & Field Technical Support Serve as the technical interface for X-BAT aircraft systems, mission equipment, launch/recovery equipment, ground support equipment, and fielded configurations Diagnose avionics, mission system, propulsion, electrical, datalink/communications, software/configuration, autonomy-supporting subsystem, and system-level discrepancies Use logs, fault codes, BIT data, schematics, drawings, technical manuals, product-definition data, and maintainer/operator debriefs to isolate root cause and recommend corrective actions Assess technical risk, restore readiness safely, and document recurring issues for escalation, trend analysis, and product improvement Customer, Test & Operational Support Provide mission-focused support to operators, maintainers, Field Service Representatives, customer leadership, and internal stakeholders during tests, demonstrations, training, deployments, and fielding activities Communicate issue status, risk, ownership, and next steps clearly while maintaining traceable case and action status in support and engineering workflow systems such as Salesforce, Jira, or comparable platforms Travel or deploy as required to support CONUS/OCONUS, maritime, austere, or non-standard schedule operations Engineering & Fleet Readiness Partner with Engineering, Product, Manufacturing, Quality, Logistics, and Program teams to investigate field issues and validate corrective actions Use model-based design data, aircraft configuration information, and CAD/product-definition tools, including Siemens NX where applicable, to support troubleshooting and technical dispositions Improve troubleshooting guides, maintenance procedures, service bulletins, training materials, and knowledge-base content while monitoring trends and configuration changes What success looks like: X-BAT aircraft and system-level issues are resolved quickly, safely, and with minimal operational disruption Customers and maintainers view Field Support as responsive, technically credible, and mission-aligned Engineering receives actionable field data that reduces recurring issues and improves product supportability Required qualifications: Bachelor's degree in STEM, aerospace, engineering, aviation technology, aviation maintenance, aviation management, or related technical discipline and 8+ years of directly applicable experience; OR master's degree and 6+ years; OR associate/technical certification and 10+ years; OR high school diploma/GED and 12+ years in lieu of degree Hands-on aircraft/UAS maintenance or sustainment experience such as military avionics technician, aircraft crew chief, aircraft/UAS maintainer, A&P mechanic, Field