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Staff Engineer, Fuel Systems (R5900)

Shield AI· RaptorX Engineering - Propulsion
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Seattle, Washington$175k - $263kFull Time EmployeePosted 1mo ago

About the role

Staff Fuel System Engineer responsible for the design, development, integration, and fielding of a next-generation autonomous aircraft fuel system. Acts as the Responsible Engineer (RE) for the fuel system, coordinating from requirements through deployment and support in a fast-paced aircraft development environment.

Responsibilities

  • Serve as the Responsible Engineer for the aircraft fuel system, owning requirements, architecture, interfaces, hardware, and technical decisions from concept through operational deployment.
  • Design, size, and integrate fuel tanks, pumps, valves, plumbing, venting and pressurization systems, filtration, level sensing, and associated fuel system hardware.
  • Analyze fuel system performance across the aircraft operating envelope, including pressure and flow requirements, transient engine demand, elevated-G maneuvering, tank depletion, slosh, vapor pressure, cavitation, vapor ingestion, and thermal effects.
  • Lead technical design reviews, supplier engagements, and hardware procurement while ensuring the fuel system meets performance, mass, thermal, reliability, safety, and mission requirements.
  • Plan and execute component, subsystem, and vehicle-level testing, including instrumentation, procedures, data acquisition, performance validation, and flight readiness.
  • Analyze ground and flight data to validate system performance, quantify margin, identify anomalies, and drive hardware or operational improvements.
  • Lead failure investigations and root cause efforts using analysis, inspection, testing, and data to develop effective corrective actions.
  • Work hands-on with design engineers, technicians, propulsion, controls, airframe, manufacturing, supply chain, test, and flight teams to build, integrate, troubleshoot, and iterate flight hardware.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
  • 7+ years of experience in aerospace fuel systems, fluid systems, propulsion, or related aircraft system development, with demonstrated ownership of complex aerospace hardware.
  • Strong understanding of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and compressible and incompressible flow.
  • Strong understanding of aerospace fuel system design, including pressure losses, pump performance, venting, vapor pressure, cavitation, transient flow behavior, and thermal effects.
  • Hands-on experience with fluid system hardware integration, instrumentation, testing, flight support, and technical failure investigations.
  • Strong proficiency in Python or similar tools for engineering analysis, data reduction, and model correlation.
  • Demonstrated ability to independently drive ambiguous technical problems to measurable results in a fast-paced development environment.
  • U.S. Citizenship and active security clearance.

Skills

Required:Aerospace/Fuel System DesignThermodynamics and Fluid MechanicsData Analysis with PythonSystems Engineering & Integration

Benefits

  • Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
  • Temporary employee offer package includes pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)
  • Salary compensation influenced by skills, experience, licenses, certifications, and location; offers contingent on cleared background and possible reference check; military fellows and part-time employees not eligible for benefits.
Last updated Oct 23, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

About Shield AI

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Our mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems.

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