Mechanical Engineering Intern

About the Role

The Air Vehicle Systems and Test Teams develop, integrate, and verify the mechanical and fluid systems that make Shield AI's autonomous aircraft function as complete vehicles. The team works across actuation and mechanisms, fluid and thermal systems, equipment installations, test hardware, instrumentation, and interfaces with structures, electrical systems, propulsion, and manufacturing.

Intern Project Scope & Description

• Own a scoped design project and contribute to adjacent team needs. The primary project may focus on aircraft hardware design and integration, a component or subsystem test stand, an environmental-test fixture, or a new test method.
• Translate the project objective into clear requirements, interfaces, success criteria, a build plan, and a test approach with support from your mentor and project stakeholders.
• Develop CAD models and drawings for brackets, mounts, tooling, fixtures, routing, or other hardware while considering loads, tolerances, access, manufacturability, and maintainability.
• Use first-principles calculations and appropriate engineering tools to size hardware, make tradeoffs, predict performance, and identify technical risks before test.
• Support fabrication, procurement, assembly, instrumentation, checkout, and troubleshooting of test articles, fixtures, and related hardware.
• Define instrumentation and data-acquisition needs; write clear test procedures; and support component or subsystem testing under mentor supervision.
• Reduce and interpret test data, compare results with requirements and predictions, document conclusions, and recommend practical design or test-process improvements.
• Participate in design and test reviews, maintain clear engineering documentation, and present your work and results at the end of the internship. Other duties may be assigned as team needs evolve.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Currently pursuing an undergraduate, graduate, or Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related STEM field.
• Strong foundation in mechanics, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, physics, and mathematics, plus enough electrical and programming fluency to work on multidisciplinary hardware.
• Experience on a multidisciplinary hardware project through an internship, job, research lab, student team, club, or personal project, etc.
• Great written and verbal communication.
• Demonstrated history of showing ownership of project outcomes and delivering exceptional results.
• Record of working hard, being a trustworthy teammate, holding yourself and others to high standards, and being kind to others.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Siemens NX, SolidWorks, CATIA, Creo, or a similar 3D CAD tool; Siemens NX is preferred.
• Hands-on experience with machining, additive manufacturing, composite or sheet-metal fabrication, mechanical assembly, or rapid prototyping.
• Familiarity with load, strain, pressure, flow, temperature, vibration, or motion measurement and with basic data-acquisition systems.
• Experience using MATLAB, Python, LabVIEW, or similar tools to process, visualize, and interpret engineering data.
• Experience with test fixtures, actuators, electric motors, pumps, mechanisms, fluid systems, thermal systems, or other electromechanical hardware.
• Demonstrated adaptability, agility, and the ability to innovate under pressure to meet dynamic project demands and drive successful outcomes.