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Senior Staff Engineer, Flight Control Actuation Systems - Ranger (R6327)

Shield AI· X-BAT Division – X-BAT Engineering - Mechanical
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Seattle, WA$200k - $310kFull Time EmployeePosted 4d ago

About the role

Senior Staff Engineer responsible for full technical ownership of flight control actuation system design for a Group 5 UAV fighter aircraft, driving from requirements to production support in an accelerated aircraft development environment.

Responsibilities

  • System Ownership: Define, allocate, and own the FCAS requirements and verification traceability matrix.
  • Actuator Performance: Design and analyze control surface actuation systems, including sizing, dynamic response, bandwidth, redundancy, and failure modes.
  • Control-Law Integration: Drive the control law-actuator interface with Flight Controls and Vehicle Management Systems, including actuator dynamics modeling and control surface authority requirements.
  • Power and Thermal Integration: Drive actuator power source architecture and load analysis with EPS and hydraulic systems leads, and resolve actuator heat-generation and local thermal-load interfaces with thermal management.
  • Structural Integration: Drive coordination of control surface hinge moments and actuator reaction loads with structures.
  • Qualification and Hardware Delivery: Define and execute FCAS qualification test plans per MIL-HDBK-516 and MIL-STD-810, using test results to mature qualified flight-control actuation hardware.
  • Program Execution: Lead FCAS design-maturity and qualification-status reviews at SRR, PDR, and CDR.

Qualifications

  • 8 to 15 years in flight control actuation system design on fixed-wing aircraft.
  • B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
  • Proven track record sourcing COTS/custom aerospace components, driving suppliers to schedule, and assembling benchtop or vehicle-level test setups.
  • Demonstrated ability to self-direct, prioritize technical tasks without oversight, and deliver functional hardware under tight timelines.
  • Experience with actuator dynamic performance analysis (bandwidth, response, stability margins, failure mode analysis, redundancy analysis).
  • Experience coordinating with flight controls and VMS engineers on actuator-control law integration.
  • Familiarity with MIL-HDBK-516 and MIL-STD-810 as applied to flight control actuation, and experience supporting SRR, PDR, and CDR on a DoD or fighter-class aircraft program.

Skills

Required:Flight control actuation system designActuator dynamics modelingMIL-HDBK-516 and MIL-STD-810Control-law integration with Flight Controls and VMS

Benefits

  • Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
  • Temporary employee benefits after 60 days (for applicable terms)
  • Salary compensation influenced by skills, experience, licenses, certifications, and location; background check may be required.
Last updated Oct 23, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

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