Founded in 2015, 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 and V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft. 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
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What You'll Do:
Strategic Supplier Transformation & Process Excellence
Define and lead the supplier development strategy across key commodities, driving systemic improvements in cost, lead time, quality, and scalability.
Establish and institutionalize supplier process audit frameworks and continuous improvement roadmaps aligned to company growth objectives.
Partner with executive leadership to prioritize supplier investments, consolidations, and capability expansion.
Quality & Operational Governance
Own the supplier quality strategy, including audit standards, escalation frameworks, and corrective action governance.
Lead root cause investigations for systemic supplier performance issues and ensure cross-functional resolution.
Develop standardized quality and performance review mechanisms (QBRs, scorecards, KPI dashboards).
Supplier Capability & Capacity Development
Assess supplier technical maturity, manufacturing readiness, and operational scalability.
Drive supplier capability upgrades in partnership with Engineering and Operations to meet future product and rate requirements.
Lead make vs. buy strategy alignment for new and existing programs.
Engineering & Technical Leadership
Establish technical standards and expectations for supplier manufacturing processes, drawing interpretation, GD&T adherence, and quality controls.
Ensure supplier alignment with evolving product designs, material specifications, and manufacturing complexity (composites, injection molding, mechanical hardware).
Influence early design decisions to ensure manufacturability and supply chain scalability.
Performance & Risk Management
Build and oversee supplier performance monitoring systems covering delivery, quality, cost, and risk indicators.
Proactively identify supply chain risks (capacity, geopolitical, technical, financial) and implement mitigation strategies at the portfolio level.
Lead executive-level supplier escalations and recovery plans when required.
New Product Introduction (NPI) Leadership
Own supplier readiness strategy for NPI programs, ensuring manufacturability, quality validation (FAI/PPAP), and capacity planning are completed prior to production ramp.
Partner with Engineering to align release timelines with supplier capability and risk mitigation plans.
Required Qualifications
10+ years of experience in mechanical hardware manufacturing, manufacturing engineering, or supplier development leadership roles.
Demonstrated leadership of supplier development or manufacturing teams.
Strong expertise in composite manufacturing, injection molding, and/or precision mechanical fabrication.
Proven ability to interpret 2D drawings, GD&T, and critical mechanical features at a high level.
Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally (~50%+ as required).
Preferred Qualifications:
Proficiency in CAD tools (SolidWorks, CATIA) with ability to engage technically in DFM discussions.
M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent technical discipline.
Deep experience in root cause analysis, failure investigation, and structured corrective action frameworks.
Demonstrated success leading cross-functional initiatives across Engineering, Supply Chain, Production, and Quality.
Experience building and scaling supplier networks in aerospace or high-growth hardware environments.
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Full-time regular employee offer package:
Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
Temporary employee offer package:
Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)
Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.
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Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.
