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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Job Description:
We are seeking a technician with hands-on engine overhaul experience to support scheduled 250-hour engine overhaul activity and normal organizational-level V-BAT maintenance. This role is ideal for a technician with piston engine teardown, inspection, rebuild, installation, and troubleshooting experience who can support both dedicated engine overhaul work and day-to-day aircraft maintenance tasks.
What you'll do:
Perform scheduled 250-hour engine overhauls on V-BAT unmanned aircraft systems, including engine removal, teardown, inspection, cleaning, parts replacement, reassembly, installation, rigging, ground run support, and return-to-service documentation.
Conduct organizational-level maintenance on V-BAT unmanned aircraft systems and associated Ground Support Equipment.
Inspect, troubleshoot, repair, and maintain small UAV piston engines, fuel systems, ignition systems, induction/exhaust components, cooling components, engine mounts, propulsor/ducted-fan interfaces, and related engine accessories.
Use technical manuals, work instructions, drawings, inspection criteria, torque specifications, service bulletins, and overhaul procedures to complete engine maintenance accurately and safely.
Document all engine overhaul, inspection, discrepancy, repair, replacement, and maintenance actions in accordance with company procedures and applicable quality requirements.
Construct wiring harnesses and solder necessary components to maintain V-BAT unmanned aircraft systems and associated GSE.
Comply with written training and certification requirements for maintenance personnel.
Support the development and improvement of maintenance task instructions, engine overhaul procedures, inspection checklists, and future maintenance manuals.
Develop relationships with adjacent organizations, including engineering, quality, production, flight operations, supply chain, and field support, to ensure maintenance and overhaul best practices are in place.
Perform normal V-BAT technician duties when engines are not actively being overhauled.
Comply with the company’s tool control, FOD prevention, HAZMAT, ESD, and safety programs.
Required qualifications:
Hands-on experience performing piston engine overhaul, major repair, teardown, inspection, assembly, or rebuild work on aircraft, UAV, small-displacement aviation, powersports, marine, or comparable high-performance engines.
Experience working with two-stroke, two-cylinder, opposed/twin-cylinder, air-cooled, gasoline, heavy-fuel, or small UAV propulsion systems, or directly comparable engine platforms.
Ability to read and follow technical manuals, overhaul procedures, illustrated parts catalogs, engineering drawings, torque specifications, inspection criteria, and maintenance work instructions.
Proficiency using precision measuring and inspection tools such as micrometers, calipers, bore gauges, dial indicators, torque wrenches, feeler gauges, and related engine overhaul tooling.
Ability to inspect engine components for wear, scoring, cracks, corrosion, heat damage, dimensional limits, and other overhaul rejection criteria.
Ability to maintain accurate maintenance, overhaul, inspection, configuration, and quality records.
Experience in aviation maintenance and operations, including coordination across multiple departments.
Ability to travel as needed.
Ability to obtain a U.S. security clearance.
Significant experience and proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Proven record of working hard, being a trustworthy teammate, holding oneself and others to high standards, and showing kindness to others.
U.S.-issued passport.
Preferred qualifications:
FAA A&P license or equivalent internal or external certification demonstrating technical competency.
Direct experience overhauling, repairing, or maintaining Suter TOA 288 / 288-series engines or comparable small UAV piston engines.
Experience performing scheduled engine overhauls at defined service intervals, including 250-hour overhaul programs.
Experience with Group 2 or Group 3 UAS maintenance, field support, launch/recovery operations, or deployed aviation maintenance environments.
Experience in the field of Unmanned Aerial Systems.
Experience with V-BAT, ducted-fan VTOL aircraft, small unmanned aircraft propulsion systems, or expeditionary UAS operations.
Experience maintaining heavy-fuel, JP-5, JP-8, gasoline, or mixed-fuel UAV engine systems.
Experience troubleshooting engine performance issues, including hard start, rough running, compression loss, fuel delivery issues, ignition faults, overheating, vibration, exhaust leaks, and abnormal wear.
Experience in avionics.
IPC certification.
Experience with maintenance data collection, failure reporting, root-cause analysis, continuous improvement, or development of overhaul work instructions.