---
title: 'Associate Sourcing Specialist (R5490) at Shield AI'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/associate-sourcing-specialist-r5490-shield-ai-dallas-s4n9cm6xw2j0'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-12'
---

# Associate Sourcing Specialist (R5490) at Shield AI

- **Company:** Shield AI
- **Location:** Dallas, TX
- **Compensation:** $69k–$100k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-08-04
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-12
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/shieldai/5bba86c8-b11b-48a8-9ec5-e1d258defc83

## Job description

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.

Job Description: Play a key role in bringing innovative products to life by building strong supplier partnerships and supporting critical supply chain initiatives. In this role, you'll collaborate across engineering, manufacturing, and operations to ensure the resources needed for development and production are in place, helping deliver high-quality products in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.

What you'll do:

- Source and procure mechanical commodities including machined parts, sheet metal, welded assemblies, structural components, fasteners, hardware, castings, forgings, and other fabricated components supporting aerospace and defense programs.
- Solicit supplier quotations, evaluate pricing and lead times, negotiate routine commercial terms, and execute purchase orders to meet program requirements.
- Manage supplier relationships to ensure on-time delivery, quality, and responsiveness while escalating performance issues as needed.
- Partner with Engineering to review drawings, specifications, bills of material (BOMs), and engineering changes to ensure suppliers understand manufacturing requirements.
- Support new product introduction (NPI) activities by coordinating supplier quotes, prototype builds, and material readiness.
- Work closely with Planning, Manufacturing, Quality, and Supplier Quality to resolve supply chain issues, expedite critical hardware, and support production schedules.
- Track supplier commitments, monitor delivery performance, and proactively communicate risks affecting production or program milestones.
- Support supplier qualification activities, First Article Inspection (FAI), and quality requirements in coordination with Supplier Quality and Engineering.
- Maintain accurate supplier data, pricing, lead times, and purchasing documentation within the ERP system.
- Identify opportunities for cost savings, lead time improvements, and process efficiencies while supporting continuous improvement initiatives.

Required qualifications:

- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, Operations, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
- 3+ years of experience in purchasing, sourcing, or supply chain management supporting manufacturing or aerospace/defense environments.
- Experience sourcing one or more mechanical commodity groups such as:
- Precision machined components
- Sheet metal fabrications
- Welded assemblies
- Structural components
- Fasteners and hardware
- Castings and forgings
- Composites
- Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, bills of material (BOMs), and manufacturing specifications.
- Experience obtaining supplier quotations, negotiating pricing and lead times, and managing purchase orders.
- Basic understanding of manufacturing processes including CNC machining, welding, fabrication, finishing, and assembly.
- Familiarity with aerospace quality systems such as AS9100 and First Article Inspection (FAI) processes is preferred.
- Strong organizational and analytical skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Effective communication and collaboration skills with cross-functional teams including Engineering, Manufacturing, Planning, and Quality.
- Experience using ERP/MRP systems and Microsoft Excel for purchasing and supplier management.

Preferred qualifications:

- Experience supporting aerospace, defense, or other highly regulated manufacturing industries.
- Familiarity with FAR, DFARS, ITAR, and export compliance requirements.
- Experience supporting prototype, development, and production programs.
- Exposure to supplier performance management and continuous improvement activities.
- APICS/ASCM or CPSM certification is a plus.

#LB

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.

###

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.

## About Shield AI

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Shield AI builds AI pilots and autonomous systems for military aircraft to protect service members and civilians.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series G, venture-backed)
- **Headquarters**: San Diego, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2015
- **Founders**: Brandon Tseng, Ryan Tseng, Andrew Reiter

## Core Business
- Primary industry/industries: Defense technology, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, aerospace
- Target customers: U.S. Department of Defense, allied nations’ military forces (B2G / Government)
- Mission or purpose statement: “Protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems.”

## Products & Services
- **Hivemind**: A combat‑tested, modular autonomy stack for aircraft – self‑driving technology for drones, jets, and helicopters. Includes path‑planning, mapping, state‑estimation, computer vision, and reinforcement learning. Type: Software (AI/autonomy).
- **V‑BAT**: A vertical take‑off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial system (UAS) designed for persistent ISR and strike missions. Type: Hardware (drone).
- **X‑BAT**: An advanced unmanned aircraft system with extended endurance and payload capacity, built for multi‑domain operations. Type: Hardware (drone).
- **Hivemind Vision Systems**: Computer‑vision and sensor‑fusion capabilities integrated into Hivemind for GPS‑denied environments. Type: Software + sensors.
- **Hivemind Enterprise**: A deployable version of Hivemind for third‑party platforms and commercial applications. Type: Software.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed (private company). Total funding raised: $3.6B (as of Series G in March 2026).
- **Key Metric**: Annual Revenue ~$21.7M (estimated, private) | Total Funding $3.6B (including $2B Series G led by JP Morgan Chase and Advent International, March 2026).
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: JP Morgan Chase, Advent International, Blackstone, Riot Ventures, SnowPoint Ventures, Disruptive (55+ investors total). Strategic partners include U.S. DoD and allied defense forces.
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew 68.3% YoY to 1,283 employees; 338 active job postings (+57.2% YoY); operates in 5 countries (U.S., Australia, UAE, Norway, Ukraine); recent acquisitions of Sentient Vision Systems (2024), Heron Systems, MARTIN UAV.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Combat‑proven autonomy**: Hivemind has been tested in live military operations, providing a first‑mover advantage in contested, GPS‑denied environments.
- **Full‑stack integration**: Combines software (AI pilot), hardware (V‑BAT, X‑BAT), and sensor systems, creating a tightly integrated product ecosystem.
- **Cross‑functional engineering culture**: Engineers work across AI, robotics, aerospace, and defense – not siloed – enabling rapid iteration and field deployment.
- **Top talent pipeline**: Employees drawn from Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Amazon, Anduril, and other leading defense/tech firms.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scale AI pilots across all domains**: Extend Hivemind from aircraft to ships, satellites, and ground vehicles (“every military asset”).
- **International expansion**: Growing presence in Australia, Europe, and Middle East via mission autonomy centers and partnerships.
- **Deepen autonomy stack**: Continued investment in reinforcement learning, simulation, and computer vision to maintain leadership in contested‑environment autonomy.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission‑driven work**: Directly contribute to protecting service members and civilians with cutting‑edge AI and robotics.
- **Cross‑functional teams**: Engineers collaborate across disciplines (AI, hardware, software, systems) on real‑world defense challenges.
- **Benefits**: Excellent medical coverage, mental health EAP, paid parental leave, pet insurance, flexible work hours, gym discounts (SD) / on‑site gym (DC), free parking, competitive compensation, 401k with match, stock benefits.
- **Work policy**: Flexible work hours; some offices (e.g., San Diego HQ, Arlington, DC) have on‑site facilities. Remote/hybrid options available depending on role.
- **Growth trajectory**: Rapidly scaling (68% headcount growth) with hundreds of open roles across engineering, operations, and program management.

## Sources
1. [shield.ai/about](https://shield.ai/about/)
2. [shield.ai/careers](https://shield.ai/careers/)
3. [LinkedIn – Shield AI](https://www.linkedin.com/company/shield-ai)
4. [CBInsights – Shield AI](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/shield-ai)
5. [Lever – Shield AI Jobs](https://jobs.lever.co/shieldai)

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- [Staff Platform Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-platform-engineer-shield-ai-san-diego-t739q0cnehtg) — San Diego, CA
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- [Director, Mission Systems](https://feeny.ai/job/director-mission-systems-shield-ai-washington-96nmd081cj08) — Washington, DC
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