Chief Engineer, Air Vehicle Lead – Ranger Program

Job overview

The Chief Engineer, Air Vehicle Lead – Ranger Program is an onsite role in Seattle, WA, with an annual salary of $250,000–$340,000. The role supports Shield AI’s Air Force Ranger program, developing autonomous aircraft. This senior technical leader owns the aircraft’s technical integrity and guides multidisciplinary engineering from requirements and architecture through design, testing, and production. The role contributes to program execution by managing system-level tradeoffs, integration, and technical risk while remaining hands-on in engineering decisions.

What you'll do

• Own air vehicle architecture, technical performance, integration, and design integrity
• direct engineering across aircraft disciplines
• lead system-level trades and design execution through ground and flight testing
• investigate technical issues and manage risk
• coordinate interfaces and production readiness with manufacturing, suppliers, and operations
• mentor engineers and technical leaders.

What we're looking for

Skills & competencies

chief engineer

air vehicle lead

ranger program

aerospace engineering

aircraft development

autonomous aircraft

seattle wa

shield ai

$250k–$340k/year

security clearance eligibility

multidisciplinary engineering

Work arrangement

• Weekend coverage required

Why this role

Hands-on technical leadership across the full aircraft development lifecycle, including build, ground test, flight test, and production.

About the employer

Shield AI is hiring for this role. Industry: Engineering Services. Sector: 54.