Staff Supplier Development Engineer - Structures & Welding (R5984)

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

Job Description:

What you'll do:

• Lead the technical development and performance improvement of suppliers supporting welded assemblies, large metallic structures, sheet metal components, and complex structural assemblies.

• Assess supplier capabilities across welding, sheet metal forming, structural fabrication, machining, assembly, tooling, inspection, and special processes.

• Conduct supplier capability assessments, manufacturing readiness reviews, process audits, capacity analyses, and onsite technical evaluations.

• Partner with Strategic Sourcing and Engineering to evaluate and select suppliers capable of meeting technical, quality, cost, schedule, and production-rate requirements.

• Serve as the primary technical interface between suppliers and internal Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Program teams.

• Lead supplier industrialization activities, including manufacturing planning, tooling and fixture readiness, process validation, capacity planning, qualification, and production ramp-up.

• Review engineering drawings, specifications, GD&T, bills of material, weld symbols, material requirements, special-process requirements, and statements of work.

• Evaluate supplier welding capabilities, including welding equipment, personnel qualifications, weld procedures, process controls, inspection methods, and compliance with applicable aerospace welding standards.

• Review welding procedure specifications, procedure qualification records, welder certifications, and nondestructive inspection requirements.

• Work with suppliers to control weld distortion, residual stress, dimensional variation, heat-affected zones, joint fit-up, and other risks associated with large welded structures.

• Evaluate sheet metal forming processes such as brake forming, roll forming, stretch forming, hydroforming, stamping, and complex contour forming.

• Assess supplier tooling strategies for large structures and sheet metal components, including weld fixtures, assembly jigs, forming tools, trim tools, and inspection fixtures.

• Drive design-for-manufacturability and design-for-assembly discussions to improve joint design, tooling access, weld accessibility, dimensional control, producibility, cost, and lead time.

• Lead technical problem-solving involving weld defects, forming defects, springback, distortion, dimensional nonconformances, tooling issues, material variability, and assembly fit-up.

• Develop and manage supplier technical development plans, production readiness plans, capacity recovery plans, and corrective-action plans.

• Apply structured root-cause and corrective-action methods, including 8D, 5-Why, fishbone analysis, fault-tree analysis, and other appropriate problem-solving tools.

• Review and approve supplier manufacturing documentation, including process flow diagrams, manufacturing plans, weld plans, inspection plans, control plans, PFMEAs, work instructions, and qualification documentation.

• Coordinate First Article Inspection activities in accordance with AS9102 and support the resolution of FAI discrepancies and manufacturing nonconformances.

• Evaluate supplier production capacity using cycle times, yield, equipment availability, skilled labor, tooling, floor space, material flow, and inspection capacity.

• Support suppliers through engineering changes, new product introductions, prototype builds, qualification activities, and production-rate increases.

• Develop measurable improvement plans for suppliers experiencing delivery, quality, capacity, or technical performance issues.

• Lead onsite supplier recovery efforts and communicate progress, technical risks, and corrective actions to program and executive leadership.

• Monitor supplier performance trends to identify recurring issues, systemic risks, and opportunities for continuous improvement.

• Support alternate-source development and risk-mitigation strategies for sole-source, long-lead, and flight-critical structural components.

• Work with suppliers to implement lean manufacturing, process controls, mistake-proofing, yield improvement, cycle-time reduction, and production-flow improvements.

• Ensure suppliers comply with applicable AS9100, AS9102, engineering, configuration-control, special-process, and customer requirements.

• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to less-experienced Supplier Development, Supplier Quality, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain team members.

• Travel regularly to supplier locations to conduct assessments, resolve technical issues, and support production readiness and recovery activities.

Required qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Welding Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field.

• 7+ years of experience in supplier development, manufacturing engineering, welding engineering, supplier quality engineering, or a related technical role within aerospace, defense, or another highly regulated manufacturing environment.

• Demonstrated experience developing suppliers and resolving complex manufacturing, quality, capacity, or delivery issues.

• Technical experience with one or more of the following commodity or process areas:

• Large metallic airframe structures

• Welded structural assemblies

• Sheet metal components and assemblies

• Sheet metal forming and fabrication

• Structural frames, supports, mounts, and enclosures

• Complex mechanical and structural assemblies

• Precision-machined structural components

• Tooling, fixtures, and assembly jigs

• Aerospace welding and special processes

• Strong working knowledge of welding processes such as GTAW/TIG, GMAW/MIG, resistance welding, laser welding, or electron-beam welding.

• Knowledge of sheet metal manufacturing processes, including cutting, bending, forming, rolling, trimming, drilling, fastening, and structural assembly.

• Experience evaluating welding procedures, welder qualifications, joint preparation, filler materials, shielding requirements, heat input, distortion control, and weld inspection methods.

• Ability to read and interpret complex engineering drawings, GD&T, weld symbols, bills of material, material specifications, and manufacturing requirements.

• Experience assessing tooling and fixture concepts for welding, sheet metal forming, large-structure assembly, and dimensional inspection.

• Experience conducting manufacturing process audits, supplier capability assessments, capacity analyses, and production readiness reviews.

• Experience with First Article Inspection requirements and AS9102 documentation.

• Working knowledge of AS9100 quality management systems and aerospace supplier qualification requirements.

• Experience applying structured root-cause analysis and corrective-action methodologies, including 8D, 5-Why, and fishbone analysis.

• Knowledge of PFMEA, control plans, process capability, statistical process control, measurement systems, and inspection methods.

• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional technical teams and supplier improvement initiatives with limited oversight.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to make data-driven technical decisions.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical risks and recovery plans to suppliers and senior leadership.

• Ability to manage multiple supplier development projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment.

• Ability to travel to domestic and international supplier facilities as required.

• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance.

Preferred qualifications:

• Active U.S. government SECRET security clearance at the time of hire.

• Experience supporting aircraft, unmanned aircraft systems, advanced aerospace platforms, or defense programs.

• Direct supplier development experience involving large welded airframe structures, sheet metal assemblies, engine mounts, structural frames, or other flight-critical hardware.

• Experience supporting the industrialization and production ramp-up of newly designed aerospace structures and assemblies.

• Working knowledge of aerospace welding standards and specifications, including AWS D17.1 or comparable requirements.

• Experience reviewing welding procedure specifications, procedure qualification records, welder certifications, and weld inspection documentation.

• Experience with aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, nickel alloys, and other aerospace-grade materials.

• Experience resolving weld cracking, porosity, lack of fusion, distortion, springback, dimensional variation, and assembly fit-up issues.

• Knowledge of nondestructive testing methods such as radiographic, ultrasonic, dye-penetrant, magnetic-particle, and visual inspection.

• Experience with large-scale tooling, weld fixtures, forming dies, assembly jigs, laser tracking, CMM inspection, and dimensional control.

• Experience leading supplier recovery efforts involving critical delivery, capacity, manufacturing, or quality issues.

• Experience with lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, value-stream mapping, process capability analysis, and production-flow optimization.

• Familiarity with NADCAP-controlled processes, including welding, heat treatment, nondestructive testing, coatings, and chemical processing.

• Familiarity with FAR, DFARS, ITAR, export compliance, and government contracting requirements.

• Experience working in both prototype and production environments with aggressive schedule and production-rate requirements.

• ASQ Certified Quality Engineer, Certified Welding Inspector, Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt, or another relevant professional certification.