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 Staff Electrical Test Engineering Specialist to build, modify, troubleshoot, and sustain the electrical test systems used to prove X-BAT hardware is reliable and mission ready. The Hardware Test Engineering team develops custom equipment for component- and system-level testing at ambient and simulated harsh environmental conditions.
This is a senior hands-on technical role focused on electrical execution and test-system readiness. You will perform complex PCBA and harness troubleshooting and rework, build and validate test equipment, design interface electronics and harnesses, support production and test operations, and lead improvements that make hardware easier to test, repair, and sustain. You will also mentor technicians and engineers, establish strong workmanship practices, and serve as a trusted escalation point for difficult electrical problems.
What success looks like:
- Keep critical test and production equipment safe, available, calibrated, and ready when programs need it.
- Resolve difficult electrical failures quickly and document root cause, repair, verification, and prevention clearly.
- Deliver high-quality electrical assemblies and improve team capability through strong workmanship, standard work, training, design feedback, and configuration control.
What you'll do:
- Build, integrate, validate, maintain, and repair electrical test systems that combine custom electronics, harnesses, instruments, controls, test computers, and mechanical fixtures.
- Perform benchtop PCBA testing and advanced troubleshooting using schematics, assembly drawings, test procedures, and laboratory instruments.
- Perform high-quality PCBA, cable, harness, connector, and electromechanical rework, including inspection and verification of completed repairs.
- Design and release interface boards, simple-to-moderate PCBs, harnesses, breakout assemblies, adapters, and electrical portions of test fixtures using appropriate CAD tools.
- Select components, connectors, wire, circuit protection, relays, switches, and instrumentation; document pinouts, bills of material, drawings, and assembly instructions.
- Support equipment checkout, calibration, preventive maintenance, configuration control, spares, and lifecycle issues such as obsolescence and recurring failures.
- Respond to emergent production- and test-floor issues, restore safe operation, communicate status, and ensure temporary actions are converted into durable corrective actions.
- Partner with electrical, mechanical, software, manufacturing, quality, and test engineers in design reviews; advocate for testability, serviceability, fault isolation, and simpler rework.
- Create and improve work instructions, checkout procedures, troubleshooting guides, inspection criteria, and safe-work practices for electrical equipment.
- Mentor technicians and engineers, lead difficult builds and repairs, and model strong ownership, workmanship, documentation, and laboratory discipline.
Required qualifications:
- 6+ years of hands-on electrical experience in aerospace, manufacturing, test, electronics, or a similarly rigorous hardware environment; equivalent military or trade experience is welcome.
- Demonstrated expertise in benchtop electrical testing, PCBA troubleshooting, and root-cause isolation using oscilloscopes, multimeters, power supplies, electronic loads, logic analyzers, and related equipment.
- Advanced experience performing PCBA and harness assembly, modification, and rework from controlled drawings and workmanship requirements.
- Ability to read, create, and review schematics, wiring diagrams, pinouts, assembly drawings, bills of material, and test procedures.
- Experience designing and maintaining electrical test equipment, interface electronics, harnesses, or production fixtures through release and sustained use.
- Working knowledge of analog and digital circuits, power distribution and protection, grounding, shielding, connectors, communications interfaces, and electrical safety.
- A record of resolving urgent production or laboratory issues while preserving safety, quality, traceability, and configuration control, communicating clearly, and mentoring others.
Preferred qualifications:
- Associate degree, technical certificate, military electronics training, or equivalent practical education; IPC workmanship certification or equivalent experience is valued.
- Experience with Altium, KiCad, OrCAD, Eagle, or comparable tools and with aircraft wiring, avionics interfaces, communications, sensors, power electronics, batteries, motors, or RF systems.
- Experience with environmental or qualification-test equipment, data-acquisition systems, programmable instruments, LabVIEW, TestStand, Python, Linux, or test computers.
- Experience applying ESD controls, electrical safe-work practices, calibration requirements, nonconformance processes, and formal configuration management.
- Eligibility to obtain a U.S. security clearance if required by the program.
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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.
