← All roles

Staff Electrical Engineer, Hardware Test (R6121)

Shield AI· X-BAT Division – X-BAT Engineering - Avionics
Apply on company site
Seattle, WA$185k - $275kFull Time EmployeePosted 3w ago

About the role

Senior individual-contributor role leading the electrical test-equipment strategy for X-BAT avionics and related aircraft subsystems, from rapid development through qualification, integration, and sustained operation. Focuses on architecture, standards, safety, and cross-domain collaboration to enable testing, verification, and reliable hardware performance.

Responsibilities

  • Own the technical strategy, architecture, and roadmap for electrical test equipment supporting X-BAT avionics, power, communications, actuation, and other aircraft subsystems.
  • Identify program verification risks and capability gaps; convert them into prioritized investments, platform decisions, development plans, and clear technical ownership.
  • Define common architectures for racks, stands, interface units, power and fault insertion, instrumentation, data acquisition, timing, automation, diagnostics, and operator interfaces.
  • Lead the most complex or novel test-equipment programs through requirements, trade studies, architecture, detailed design, build, integration, acceptance, deployment, and sustainment.
  • Set and uphold engineering standards for schematics, PCB and harness design, calibration, documentation, and release readiness.
  • Establish system-safety expectations for energized test equipment, including hazard analysis, safe-state design, interlocks, isolation, emergency stops, access control, and verification of protective functions.
  • Chair high-consequence architecture, design, and readiness reviews; make or drive closure on cross-domain technical decisions and unresolved risks.
  • Partner with systems and design engineering to define testable requirements, electrical interfaces, built-in observability, fault isolation, and verification approaches before aircraft designs are released.
  • Develop strategies for equipment reliability, availability, maintainability, calibration, obsolescence, spares, vendor support, and recovery from failures during critical test campaigns.
  • Lead cross-functional root-cause investigations that span test equipment, units under test, software, facilities, manufacturing, and supplier processes; ensure corrective actions improve both products and test capability.
  • Make informed build-versus-buy decisions and provide technical direction to vendors, integrators, technicians, and partner teams delivering portions of the test ecosystem.
  • Define and use meaningful operating metrics such as first-pass acceptance, schedule predictability, equipment uptime, test repeatability, recurring anomalies, action closure, and reuse of proven designs.
  • Mentor senior and developing engineers, delegate architecture and project ownership effectively, and improve the quality of technical reasoning and review across the organization.

Qualifications

  • B.S. in Electrical Engineering or a related STEM discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
  • 8+ years of relevant industry experience developing complex electrical hardware, automated test equipment, or multidisciplinary verification systems.
  • A record of leading multiple hardware development cycles and delivering equipment or products from ambiguous requirements through release, deployment, and sustained use.
  • Deep expertise in several relevant domains, such as power electronics, analog and digital design, RF and communications, instrumentation, data acquisition, control systems, signal integrity, grounding, or system safety.
  • Demonstrated ability to architect systems that span custom electronics, commercial instruments, harnessing, embedded control, automation software, mechanical equipment, and facility interfaces.
  • Strong command of requirements decomposition, interface control, verification planning, design reviews, configuration management, acceptance testing, and technical documentation.
  • Experience establishing technical standards or reusable platforms and influencing teams beyond direct project authority.
  • Demonstrated success resolving complex cross-domain failures using data, first-principles reasoning, structured root-cause analysis, and disciplined corrective action.
  • Ability to communicate technical decisions, risks, and tradeoffs clearly to engineers, operators, program leaders, and executives.
  • A record of mentoring engineers, raising technical quality, and delivering exceptional outcomes in a fast-moving environment.

Skills

Required:Electrical test equipment strategy and roadmapHardware design standardsSystem safety and hazard analysisRequirements decomposition and interface controlCross-domain root-cause analysis

Benefits

  • Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
  • Temporary employee offer package (applicable after 60 days) + temporary benefits package
  • Salary compensation influenced by location, experience, licenses/certifications, and work location; includes background/reference checks and eligibility factors.
Last updated Oct 23, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

About Shield AI

Autonomy for the world.

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

AerospaceAutonomyDefenseliquid-ai-recruiting-targetsetter-30setter-30-2026-q1
Company profileWebsite

More open roles at Shield AI