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:
Shield AI is seeking a highly capable Production Supervisor to lead a team of avionics and electrical assembly technicians, integration, functional testing, and troubleshooting for advanced autonomous aircraft development programs. This leadership role is responsible for building the people, processes, and disciplined production environments required to support rapid prototype development, new product introduction, and the transition from early builds to flight‑ready hardware.
The ideal candidate blends strong hands‑on technical expertise with operational leadership, thrives in fast‑paced manufacturing settings, and has experience developing high‑performing technician teams from the ground up. You will work cross‑functionally with Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, and Production Planning to ensure material readiness, tooling, documentation, and test equipment are in place, while driving schedule performance, configuration‑management compliance, and continuous improvement across production operation.
What you'll do:
- Lead technicians performing avionics and electrical assembly, installation, integration, functional testing, troubleshooting, rework, inspection support, and production or flight‑readiness activities.
- Oversee work assignment, workload prioritization, coaching, mentoring, training, performance feedback, cross‑training, policy enforcement, and development of daily and weekly operating plans.
- Maintain control of manufacturing and integration environments, ensuring strict adherence to safety, workmanship standards, ESD/FOD prevention, calibration, tool control, serialized hardware traceability, nonconformance processes, quality requirements, and configuration‑management compliance.
- Demonstrate proficiency with electrical and avionics test equipment and guide disciplined troubleshooting and root‑cause analysis across electrical, electronic, wiring, sensor, power, and data‑interface systems.
- Read, interpret, and apply harness and PCBA schematics, wiring diagrams, engineering drawings, interface‑control documents, bills of material, work instructions, travelers, test procedures, and other configuration‑controlled documentation.
- Use production and test data—including yield, defects, failures, rework, labor utilization, WIP, material availability, schedule performance, and training coverage—to identify risks, make sound operational decisions, drive continuous improvement, and escalate issues appropriately.
- Lead production-readiness execution for prototype, developmental, pre-production, and first-article VBAT hardware/software from engineering release through flight-ready delivery.
- Develop and manage prototype and pre-production build schedules, production-floor cut-ins, readiness milestones, risks, dependencies, and recovery plans.
- Support first-article and pilot builds, capture technician feedback and build lessons learned, and drive updates to documentation, tooling, processes, and training before broader production release.
- Partner with Manufacturing Engineering, Quality Engineering, and Production Planning to ensure production‑readiness by confirming materials, tooling, fixtures, test equipment, and technician capacity, closing readiness gaps, and ensuring all work instructions, BOMs, test procedures, inspection criteria, and configuration requirements are complete and executable by production technicians.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in a technical field (Engineering, Technology, Analytics); equivalent technical experience in avionics or aerospace production will be considered.
- 5+ years of hands‑on experience leading technicians or teams in aerospace, defense, UAS, or other advanced manufacturing settings.
- Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, highly dynamic environment with evolving priorities.
- Excellent analytical, organizational, and communication skills.
- U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain/maintain a security clearance
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience leading avionics or electrical assembly and integration teams within aerospace, defense, UAS, or other complex hardware manufacturing environments.
- Proven expertise with electrical and avionics troubleshooting, system‑level diagnostics, and root‑cause analysis across wiring, electronics, sensors, power systems, and data‑interface architectures.
- Strong proficiency reading and interpreting engineering schematics, wiring diagrams, ICDs, bills of material, work instructions, and other configuration‑controlled documentation.
- Demonstrated success building technician capabilities, establishing production processes, and supporting early prototype through pre‑production and first‑article manufacturing.
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Full-time regular employee offer package:
Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
Temporary employee offer package:
Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)
Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.
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Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.
