About the role
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 www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
Job Description:
As the Build Manager, Prototype & New Product Launch at Shield AI, you will lead the execution of prototype and pre-production builds for next-generation autonomous aircraft systems. You will serve as the central coordination point across engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, quality, and program management to ensure builds are executed efficiently, issues are rapidly resolved, and critical development milestones are achieved.
In this highly visible role, you will drive daily build operations, facilitate cross-functional communication, and own the tracking and closure of technical, manufacturing, and supply chain issues that arise during development. Working at the intersection of engineering innovation and manufacturing execution, you will help transform first-of-their-kind aerospace systems from concept into reality.
This is a unique opportunity to build products that have never existed before, solve complex challenges in real time, and play a key role in defining how advanced autonomous systems are developed and launched at scale.
What you'll do:
- Lead day-to-day execution of prototype, integration, and pre-production build activities, ensuring schedule, quality, and program objectives are achieved.
- Serve as the primary build coordinator across engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, quality, and program management teams.
- Drive issue identification, escalation, and resolution during prototype and NPI builds, ensuring blockers are quickly addressed and closed.