Flight Ops Technician

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.

The Flight Ops Technician III is a senior, hands-on technical role supporting the development, testing, and operation of unmanned aircraft systems in Ukraine. The role bridges aircraft prototyping, hardware integration, HIL/ground testing, aircraft maintenance, and field flight operations, working closely with hardware, software, autonomy, and flight-test teams.

The technician will build and modify prototype aircraft, integrate avionics and electrical systems, fabricate parts using 3D printing and other rapid-prototyping methods, and troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, communications, and system-level issues. They will also build, maintain, and troubleshoot HIL rigs and related test infrastructure, help establish and maintain a local prototyping and flight-operations lab, and support aircraft readiness and field testing.

This role is best suited for a versatile, self-sufficient senior technician who can move seamlessly between the lab, aircraft, HIL environment, and flight-test site-rapidly solving problems and helping engineering teams get systems ready for test and flight. Flight Ops Technician III.

What You'll Do:

• Build, modify, assemble, maintain, and repair prototype unmanned aircraft and related test systems.

• Install and integrate avionics, sensors, compute hardware, radios, antennas, payloads, wiring, and other experimental hardware.

• Fabricate prototype and replacement components using 3D printing, hand and power tools, and other rapid-prototyping methods.

• Build, modify, and troubleshoot wiring harnesses, connectors, electrical assemblies, and aircraft electrical systems.

• Build, wire, configure, maintain, and troubleshoot HIL rigs, test fixtures, and related engineering test infrastructure.

• Integrate flight computers, avionics, sensors, actuators, communications equipment, and other aircraft hardware into HIL and bench-test environments.

• Diagnose mechanical, electrical, avionics, communications, networking, and system-level issues across aircraft and test equipment.

• Support SIL, HIL, VIL, bench, ground, and live-flight testing, including aircraft functional checks and troubleshooting.

• Perform aircraft inspections, maintenance, repairs, configuration changes, and pre- and post-flight activities.

• Help establish and maintain a local prototyping and flight-operations lab, including tools, test equipment, fabrication equipment, spares, batteries, and support equipment.

• Support flight operations, including aircraft setup, launch and recovery, test-site setup and teardown, and preparation of equipment for field deployments.

• Maintain aircraft, test-system, maintenance, configuration, inventory, and other technical documentation.

• Work closely with hardware, software, autonomy, and flight-test engineers to rapidly diagnose problems, implement modifications, and improve test capabilities.

• Transport personnel and equipment to test sites and travel within Ukraine to support testing, demonstrations, and operations.

• Mentor less-experienced technicians and maintain high standards for workmanship, configuration control, organization, and safety.

Required Qualifications:

• 5+ years of hands-on experience in UAS, aviation, aerospace, robotics, electronics, manufacturing, test support, or a related technical field.

• Strong mechanical and electrical aptitude with experience building, modifying, maintaining, or repairing complex electromechanical systems.

• Experience integrating hardware into aircraft, robotics, prototypes, test systems, or comparable platforms.

• Hands-on electrical experience, including wiring, connectors, soldering, crimping, cable fabrication, and electrical troubleshooting.

• Experience building, maintaining, or troubleshooting HIL rigs, test stands, test fixtures, or similar hardware/software integration environments.

• Ability to read and work from mechanical drawings, wiring diagrams, schematics, and engineering documentation

• Experience with rapid prototyping, fabrication, and iterative hardware development.

• Ability to systematically troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, communications, and system-level problems.

• Experience using common mechanical and electrical tools and test equipment.

• Experience supporting engineering, ground, flight, or field testing.

• Strong attention to detail, workmanship, safety, and configuration control.

• Ability to work independently and solve technical problems in fast-moving workshop, laboratory, flight-line, and field environments.

• Valid driver's license and ability to transport equipment and personnel to operational sites.

• Ability to travel within Ukraine as required.

Required Qualifications:

• 5+ years of hands-on experience in UAS, aviation, aerospace, robotics, electronics, manufacturing, test support, or a related technical field.
• Strong mechanical and electrical aptitude with experience building, modifying, maintaining, or repairing complex electromechanical systems.
• Experience integrating hardware into aircraft, robotics, prototypes, test systems, or comparable platforms.
• Hands-on electrical experience, including wiring, connectors, soldering, crimping, cable fabrication, and electrical troubleshooting.
• Experience building, maintaining, or troubleshooting HIL rigs, test stands, test fixtures, or similar hardware/software integration environments.
• Ability to read and work from mechanical drawings, wiring diagrams, schematics, and engineering documentation.
• Experience with rapid prototyping, fabrication, and iterative hardware development.
• Ability to systematically troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, communications, and system-level problems.
• Experience using common mechanical and electrical tools and test equipment.
• Experience supporting engineering, ground, flight, or field testing.
• Strong attention to detail, workmanship, safety, and configuration control.
• Ability to work independently and solve technical problems in fast-moving workshop, laboratory, flight-line, and field environments.
• Valid driver's license and ability to transport equipment and personnel to operational sites.
• Ability to travel within Ukraine as required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience maintaining or integrating fixed-wing and multirotor UAS.
• Experience with autonomous or experimental aircraft and Group 1 or Group 2 UAS.
• Experience building or maintaining HIL environments for aircraft, robotics, or autonomous systems.
• Experience with 3D printing, CAD, and prototype part fabrication.
• Experience integrating avionics, flight computers, sensors, actuators, radios, antennas, or payload systems.
• Experience with PX4, ArduPilot, or similar flight-control systems.
• Familiarity with Ground Control Stations, telemetry, RF systems, datalinks, and networking.
• Familiarity with Linux, command-line tools, scripting, or basic software troubleshooting.
• Experience using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, power supplies, or similar electrical test equipment.
• Experience establishing or maintaining an engineering lab, prototype shop, HIL lab, or flight-operations facility.
• Background in defense, aerospace, robotics, aircraft maintenance, manufacturing, or flight test.
• Experience working in austere or rapidly changing field environments.
• Ukrainian and English language proficiency.

Our international teammates receive a comprehensive total rewards package aligned to your country office location. For full details on compensation and benefits, please consult your talent acquisition partner.