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Manager, Mechanical Engineering - Hardware Test (X-BAT) (R6093)

Shield AI· X-BAT Engineering - Avionics
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Seattle, WA$180k - $280kFull Time EmployeePosted 3mo ago

About the role

Lead the mechanical hardware-test team supporting the X-BAT program, owning the roadmap for test stands, fixtures, tooling, and facility interfaces to validate mission-critical aircraft hardware across development, integration, qualification, and production.

Responsibilities

  • Lead, coach, and grow a team of mechanical engineers responsible for X-BAT hardware-test equipment; set clear expectations and provide regular feedback, career development, performance management, hiring, and onboarding.
  • Own the mechanical hardware-test roadmap and delivery portfolio across development, subsystem integration, qualification, and production-test needs.
  • Convert program milestones and verification needs into executable plans with clear scope, priorities, staffing, schedule, dependencies, decision owners, and risk-reduction actions.
  • Manage team capacity and workload across concurrent test campaigns; identify resource gaps and communicate staffing, schedule, budget, and technical tradeoffs with transparency.
  • Set the quality bar for requirements, concepts, design reviews, analysis, GD&T, tolerance analysis, DFM/DFA, drawing and model release, configuration control, validation, acceptance, and sustaining documentation.
  • Ensure test stands and fixtures are safe, repeatable, maintainable, serviceable, and efficient for operators while meeting structural, thermal, durability, environmental, and facility-interface requirements.
  • Serve as the senior mechanical escalation point for test-equipment architecture, load paths, materials, mechanisms, mounting, cooling, plumbing, instrumentation accommodation, guarding, and other hazards or interfaces.
  • Establish and use meaningful operating metrics such as schedule predictability, design-review closure, first-pass checkout, equipment uptime, recurring failures, corrective-action closure, and reuse of proven designs.
  • Drive standardization and reuse across test assets, including common design practices, modular hardware, documentation, checkout methods, and maintenance strategies.
  • Partner with test, electrical, avionics, systems, manufacturing, quality, facilities, supply chain, technicians, and program leadership to resolve interfaces and deliver integrated test capability when it is needed.
  • Oversee fabrication, procurement, assembly, commissioning, and sustainment strategies with internal shops and external suppliers; make informed make-versus-buy and schedule-risk decisions.
  • Lead high-impact root-cause investigations and corrective actions involving test equipment or units under test, ensuring lessons learned improve future designs and team practices.
  • Build a culture of technical rigor, urgency, ownership, candid communication, and safe hands-on execution.

Qualifications

  • B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or a related STEM discipline.
  • 8+ years of relevant experience developing complex mechanical hardware, test equipment, tooling, fixtures, or ground-support equipment in aerospace, defense, robotics, automotive, industrial systems, or another high-consequence environment.
  • 2+ years of direct people-management experience, including goal setting, work allocation, coaching, performance management, hiring, and developing engineers.
  • Demonstrated success leading a team or function through the design, release, fabrication, assembly, checkout, deployment, and sustainment of multiple complex hardware systems.
  • Strong mechanical engineering fundamentals, including statics and dynamics, load paths, strength and stiffness, fatigue and durability, materials and finishes, fastener design, tolerancing, GD&T, and machine or fixture safety.
  • Experience establishing engineering standards and leading effective requirements, architecture, and design reviews.
  • Proficiency with an industry-standard CAD and product-lifecycle or release workflow such as NX, SolidWorks, CATIA, Teamcenter, or an equivalent toolset.
  • Experience managing a multi-project technical roadmap, balancing resources and priorities, and communicating risk and tradeoffs to program and engineering leadership.
  • Hands-on judgment developed in lab, prototype, manufacturing, or production environments, including collaboration with technicians, machinists, suppliers, and test operators.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills with a record of building alignment across engineering, operations, and program organizations.

Skills

Required:Mechanical engineering fundamentalsTest equipment design and developmentLeadership and people management

Benefits

  • Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
  • Temporary employee offer package (applicable after 60 days of employment) + temporary benefits package
Last updated Oct 23, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

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