Propulsion Design Engineer
US$130,000 – US$200,000 / yr base salary
Posted 15 Sep 2026
Advertised as “Senior Propulsion Design Engineer (R4641)”
BranchFactor Summary
The original posting with the fluff stripped out
- Expected experience
- 5+ yrs
- Management level
- Individual contributor
- Employment
- On-Site
- Contract
- Full-time
| Base salary | US$130,000 – US$200,000 / yr |
|---|
Field of studyAerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering (or related)
Study levelBachelor's
Field of studyAerospace Engineering (or related)
Study levelMaster's
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:
We are seeking a Senior Propulsion Design Engineer to support the development and delivery of propulsion hardware for the X-BAT platform, a next-generation UAV powered by a low-bypass turbofan engine. This role spans the full lifecycle of propulsion system components - from early layout and design through production release, test support, and flight operations.
You will be a key contributor to turning propulsion architecture into manufacturable, testable, and flight-ready hardware across the engine, fuel, oil, and bleed air systems. This role is hands-on, detail-oriented, and highly cross-functional - requiring close collaboration with propulsion REs, technicians, machinists, production, controls, airframe, and flight test teams.
What you will do in this role:
- Own the design and release of propulsion hardware supporting the engine, fuel, oil, and bleed air systems.
- Develop and maintain CAD models, drawings, and assemblies using Siemens NX with proper GD&T.
- Translate propulsion architecture and requirements into hardware that is manufacturable, testable, and robust in flight.
- Work directly with the machine shop, production, and technicians to support builds, resolve non-conformances, and drive iterative improvements.
- Support test campaigns by providing hardware design support, instrumentation accommodation, and rapid iteration based on test findings.
- Apply engineering judgment and analysis (e.g., hand calcs, ANSYS, FEA, GFSSP, REFPROP) to support sizing, load cases, and design validation.
- Support configuration management, BOM control, and change processes using Teamcenter or equivalent PLM.
- Participate in design reviews, interface control efforts, and root cause investigations related to propulsion hardware.