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Shield AI

Senior Engineer, Mechanisms (R4890)

Location

Dallas, TX

Wage

$130,000 – $200,000/yr

Employment Type

Full-time

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Posted on September 20, 2026

Job Description

Overview

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company focused on protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. The Senior Engineer, Mechanisms will contribute to the mechanical design and development of autonomous UAV products.

Responsibilities

  • Design complex electro-mechanical mechanisms for autonomous aircraft
  • Own the full design process: concept, CAD, tolerance analysis, material selection, and drawing release
  • Perform structural and kinematic calculations and preliminary FEA
  • Prototype, test, and iterate mechanism designs for functionality and reliability
  • Collaborate with electrical, avionics, flight controls, and propulsion teams
  • Support pre-production builds, prototype integration, and ground/flight testing

Requirements

  • B.S. in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering
  • 5+ years in mechanical or mechanism design
  • Strong CAD skills (NX preferred)
  • Kinematic analysis and optimization
  • Structural analysis utilizing hand calculations and finite element methods
  • FEA analysis: Modal, non-linear and linear, buckling, fatigue
  • GD&T and tolerance stack-ups for mechanical systems
  • Materials selection inclusive of alloys, heat treatments, allowables, and finishes
  • Ability to work independently in fast-paced, cross-functional teams
  • A demonstrated record of working hard, being trustworthy, holding yourself to high standards, and being kind to others
  • Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance desired
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How this job compares in Dallas, TX

Pay in context

At roughly $79/hr, this posting sits about 127% above the $35/hr median for welding jobs in Dallas, TX — toward the top of a $28–$40/hr middle band drawn from 48 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 96% of the comparable postings we have wage data for. Pay that far above local median usually comes attached to something: a harder cert requirement, travel, night shift, or overtime that isn't really optional. Worth establishing which before you accept.

The local market in Dallas, TX

We're tracking 124 other active welding openings in Dallas, TX right now, from 74 different employers. 50 of them were added in the last week. Across Texas as a whole we're tracking 1,256 other active welding openings from 597 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in Dallas, or widen the search to Texas.

Shield AI currently has 5 other openings live in Texas, which is usually a sign of either steady growth or steady turnover — worth asking which in the interview.

The most active employers in Texas at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are Austin Industries (29), Welding Shop in Austin, TX (27), and Zachry Group (23). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within Texas, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Midlothian at $38/hr, Irving at $38/hr, and Pasadena at $37/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

Similar openings near Dallas, TX

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Senior Engineer, Mechanisms (R4890) figures were last recalculated when this page was built.