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. 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.
