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Staff Engineer, Manufacturing Equipment (R4592)

Dallas, Texas
Full Time On-site

Summary

Job Description

We are seeking a Staff Equipment Engineer to lead the development, sustainment, and improvement of production equipment, test racks, and test cells supporting manufacturing and system-level testing. This role is highly hands-on and works closely with Manufacturing, Test, Quality, and Design Engineering teams to ensure equipment reliability, scalability, and readiness for production. The ideal candidate has deep experience supporting complex electromechanical equipment in a production environment and driving improvements across safety, uptime, and throughput.

What you'll do:

  • Own the technical lifecycle of production equipment, test racks, and test cells, from production readiness through sustainment and continuous improvement
  • Lead troubleshooting and root-cause analysis of equipment failures, downtime events, and test anomalies; implement corrective and preventive actions
  • Drive equipment reliability, availability, and maintainability (RAM) improvements to support production goals
  • Develop and maintain equipment documentation including schematics, BOMs, calibration plans, maintenance procedures, and operating instructions
  • Collaborate with Manufacturing, Test, and Quality teams to ensure equipment meets production, safety, and compliance requirements
  • Support equipment upgrades, obsolescence management, and capacity expansion as production scales
  • Define and execute equipment acceptance testing, validation, and handoff to production
  • Mentor junior engineers and technicians and provide technical leadership across equipment-related efforts
  • Manage external vendors and integrators as needed for equipment design, build, or modification

Required qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related field
  • 8+ years of experience supporting production equipment, test racks, or test cells in a manufacturing or test environment
  • Strong hands-on experience with electromechanical systems, controls, instrumentation, and data acquisition
  • Proven ability to troubleshoot complex equipment issues across hardware, software, and controls domains
  • Experience developing and maintaining technical documentation for production equipment
  • Ability to work effectively on the factory floor and in cross-functional engineering teams

Preferred qualifications:

  • Experience supporting automated or semi-automated production and test equipment
  • Familiarity with PLCs, HMIs, industrial networks, or test software (e.g., LabVIEW, Python, or similar)
  • Experience with equipment safety standards, lockout/tagout, and risk assessments
  • Background in scaling equipment from prototype or low-rate production to higher-rate manufacturing
  • Experience mentoring engineers or leading technical projects without direct authority
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.
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. 

About Shield AI

Shield AI

Shield AI is a defense technology company building autonomous AI systems for aircraft, drones, and intelligent mission software used in complex military environments. Founded in 2015, the company is best known for developing Hivemind, an AI pilot system that enables aircraft and drones to operate autonomously in contested and GPS-denied environments, supporting U.S. and allied defense missions.

For job seekers, Shield AI offers opportunities across advanced fields including artificial intelligence, robotics, software engineering, autonomy systems, aerospace engineering, embedded systems, and mission operations. The company is especially attractive to engineers, AI researchers, and defense professionals who want to work on real-world autonomous systems that are actively being deployed in operational military scenarios.

Unlike traditional defense contractors, Shield AI operates with a startup-style engineering culture focused on rapid experimentation, real-world testing, and fast deployment of autonomous capabilities. Employees work on tightly integrated AI and robotics systems that combine perception, decision-making, and control, enabling platforms to operate without direct human input in highly complex environments.

As modern warfare increasingly shifts toward autonomous systems, distributed sensing, and AI-enabled decision-making, Shield AI continues to grow as one of the most prominent companies in next-generation defense technology. For professionals seeking to build cutting-edge autonomy systems with direct mission impact, Shield AI stands out as a leading employer in the defense innovation ecosystem.

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