Own and maintain the authoritative fleet configuration record, reconcile discrepancies across departments, plan and execute quarterly configuration update rollouts to full fleet compliance, coordinate cross-functional stakeholders (Engineering, Sustainment, Field Operations, customers), and maintain audit-quality change records supporting contractual compliance and audits.
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.
Shield AI is seeking an Aircraft Configuration Manager to serve as the enterprise source of truth for fleet configuration and the lead for cross-functional configuration change execution within Aircraft Division.
The Fleet Strategy & Portfolio Management function owns the configuration state of the fielded fleet across the enterprise. Where Engineering owns configuration design and baselines, Fleet Strategy closes the gap between design intent and operational reality: tracking what version each tail is actually in, reconciling discrepancies across departments, and planning the rollout of configuration updates across the fleet.
The Aircraft Configuration Manager will consolidate fragmented configuration data from across the enterprise into a single authoritative record; plan, coordinate, and track quarterly configuration update rollouts across all aircraft; serve as the primary Fleet Strategy interface to Engineering for new configurations and ECPs; and maintain audit-quality records of every configuration change. This role requires formal configuration management expertise, strong cross-functional coordination skills, and the ability to drive update campaigns to 100% fleet compliance.
What you'll do:
- Maintain the authoritative catalog of approved aircraft configurations across the enterprise: every variant, build standard, payload combination, and software baseline currently in operation or planned.
- Reconcile configuration data tracked separately by Engineering, Sustainment, Customer Success, and Field Operations into a single ground-truth record.
- Resolve discrepancies between departments and own the corrected master state.
- Receive configuration release packages from Engineering each quarter and build the rollout plan that determines which aircraft get updated when, by whom, and in what sequence.
- Coordinate installation windows with Sustainment, AVOs, Field Operations, and customers on deployed aircraft.
- Track update status from kickoff through 100% fleet compliance and report progress to Mission Control and senior leadership.
- Serve as the primary Fleet Strategy interface to Engineering for new configurations, ECPs, and design changes that affect the fielded fleet.
- Coordinate update windows with customers operating deployed aircraft.
- Schedule Sustainment or field teams for installation activities.
- Flag configuration constraints (eligibility, dependencies, downtime impacts) to Mission Control during fleet allocation decisions.
- Maintain audit-quality records of every configuration change to every aircraft in the fleet.
- Ensure compliance with contractual configuration requirements per customer and per program.
- Support internal and customer audits with complete documentation of fielded configuration state and change history.
Enterprise Configuration Source of Truth
Quarterly Update Planning & Execution
Cross-Functional Configuration Coordination
Configuration Change Records & Compliance
Required qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Aviation Management, Operations Research, or related field.
- 7+ years of experience in aerospace configuration management, program management, or fleet operations.
- Formal configuration management experience: baselines, ECPs, TDP, change control boards.
- Demonstrated ability to coordinate cross-functional rollout plans across multiple internal organizations.
- Strong organizational and documentation skills.
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to interface across Engineering, Operations, and customer-facing organizations.
Preferred qualifications:
- Advanced degree in Engineering Management or Systems Engineering.
- Prior military experience in aviation maintenance, logistics, or program management with exposure to configuration management.
- Experience managing fleet-wide software or hardware update campaigns.
- Familiarity with V-BAT, fixed-wing UAS, or other unmanned aircraft systems.
- Experience with PLM, ERP, or configuration tracking platforms.
- Understanding of contractual configuration requirements in government contracts (FFP, CPFF, OTA).
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Full-time regular employee offer package:
Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
Temporary employee offer package:
Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)
Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.
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Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.
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