Flight Test Engineer
US$140,000 – US$210,000 / yr base salary
Posted 24 Sep 2026
Advertised as “Staff Engineer, Flight Test (R6064)”
BranchFactor Summary
The original posting with the fluff stripped out
- Level
- R6064
- Expected experience
- 6+ yrs
- Management level
- Individual contributor
- Employment
- On-Site
- Contract
- Full-time
| Base salary | US$140,000 – US$210,000 / yr |
|---|
Study levelBachelor's or higher
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:
As a Hivemind Solutions Staff Integration & Flight Test Engineer (ACP Programs), you will serve as a key contributor for the integration, verification, and flight test of Hivemind AI Pilot capabilities on Group 5 UAS/Autonomous Collaborative Platforms (ACP).
You will translate program objectives into executable integration and flight test plans across multiple test environments. Using disciplined test, analysis, and feedback methodologies, you will drive rapid capability maturation while maintaining rigorous safety, configuration control, and mission assurance standards.
This role serves as the technical contributor for integration and flight test execution on assigned ACP programs, responsible for coordinating test readiness, managing technical and safety risk, and leading day-to-day test execution. Here, you will serve as the primary focal point to facilitate coordination across internal program leadership and functional teams, OEM partners, and government customers and stakeholders to deliver high-impact autonomy capabilities at scale. Successful candidates are curious engineers who use disciplined integration and flight test to generate knowledge, reduce technical risk, and accelerate delivery of operational capability.
What you'll do:
- Develop and execute detailed integration and flight test plans that support the overall program verification and test strategy across simulation, SIL, HIL, ground, and flight test environments
- Coordinate readiness of simulation environments, integration laboratories, aircraft, and flight test assets required to execute program objectives
- Apply aviation knowledge, aircraft performance and operational mission understanding to develop safe, efficient, and operationally relevant integration and flight test plans
- Define test objectives, performance metrics, and success criteria, ensuring traceability from requirements to test outcomes and operational capability