Senior Systems Engineer - Autonomous Defense Platforms

About the Team Anduril’s Tactical Recon & Strike (TRS) is a division with two missions: 1) build highly capable autonomous drones, and 2) build solid rocket motors at scale. We transform products like Ghost, Anvil, Bolt, and Altius from early concepts into fully operational capabilities by partnering closely with specialist engineering, operations, and production teams. Through our Anduril Rocket Motor Systems (RMS) team, we design and manufacture solid rocket motors using advanced materials, proprietary formulations, and high-volume production methods—delivering safe, reliable propulsion systems that support a wide range of mission‑requisites. TRS hires software engineers & hardware engineers, who are excited to build across a diverse and powerful portfolio—from autonomous aerial systems to high‑performance solid rocket motors. Our teams contribute to highly capable autonomous robotics systems and propulsion products that operate reliably in the most demanding mission environment. About the Job As a Systems Engineer at Anduril, you will be a pivotal force in the Tactical Recon & Strike division, working on cutting‑edge products like Altius, Anvil, Bolt, and Ghost. This role demands a proactive problem‑solver with a strong background in electrical engineering, systems engineering principles and safety‑critical development. You will drive the technical direction, ensure robust product design, and guide cross‑functional teams to deliver critical capabilities that empower our mission. If you thrive in a fast‑paced environment and are passionate about building revolutionary defense technology from the ground up, we encourage you to apply. What You’ll Do Define systems engineering strategies in the Tactical Recon & Strike Division to drive requirements and verification for core Anduril Products Altius, Anvil, Bolt, and Ghost. Design, develop, and implement automated system‑level integration tests on SITL, HITL and hybrid testbeds coupled to simulation environments, followed by flight testing to ensure robust validation of system functionality and performance. Define and devise testing strategies using appropriate testing modalities for system and software requirements. Autonomously execute on broad and/or ambiguous requirements from internal engineering, program office, and third‑party corporate partners to own successful delivery of outcomes on multiple programs simultaneously. Coordinate and execute frequent test events involving various levels of software and hardware, from in‑lab full‑software simulations to full hardware‑in‑the‑loop demonstrations at test sites. Define a strategy to comply with appropriate industry standards, e.g., NATO UAV and MIL‑STD‑882E. Demonstrate high ownership on all pieces of work; become a trusted partner to Anduril’s software engineers. Ensure that the organization’s technical roadmap is well understood and that programs and staffing are aligned with the roadmap. Manage, unblock, and accelerate cross‑team projects spanning multiple functional teams and cross‑functional initiatives. Identify and resolve systemic execution issues across the team or group that require broader initiatives to resolve. Identify, resolve, and elevate key cross‑team dependencies. Support leads with quarterly and ongoing staffing plans across the organization, particularly where difficult prioritization conflicts exist. Collaborate closely with other partner teams, such as hardware, product, and test operations as needed. Understand technical implementation at the architectural level and propose technical alternatives when necessary; ask questions that clarify priorities. Required Qualifications 5+ years experience with programming languages, such as Python, C++, or Rust, for analysis and simulation, while also being familiar with modern software development practices and designs, unit testing, integration testing, and release processes. Degree in Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, or a related field. Experience in safety‑critical industry, particularly with safety‑critical software development standards, software safety fault/hazard analysis, and requirements‑driven software verification and validation strategies. Experience with cloud infrastructure platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) for software deployment and scalability. Demonstrated proficiency in the application of engineering standards into engineering processes or requirements, with the ability to take ambiguous, high‑level problems and translate them into actionable engineering processes, detailed requirements, and comprehensive verification and validation (V&V) plans to ensure robust and reliable system performance. Experience writing testable system‑level and software‑level requirements. Proficiency in large‑scale data modeling, data analysis, and visualization, including experience with tools such as Palantir Foundry, Tableau, AFSIM or similar platforms. Skilled in Statistics and AI/ML. Excellent communication and presentation skills. Must be willing to travel for test field events up to 25%. Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. security clearance. Preferred Qualifications Experience with sensor modeling, simulation, and analysis to support system design and performance evaluation. Experience in building programs for software deliverables from ground up. Ability to work within organizations with minimal structure and with minimal direction. Experience in rolling out potentially disruptive organizational process changes. Experience with creating communication plans for various levels of stakeholders. Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Strong technical, analytical and quantitative skills with the ability to use data and metrics to back up assumptions, recommendations and drive decisions. Experience with tools like JIRA and Confluence. Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or an Engineering discipline. Active clearance status. Benefits At Anduril, we invest in our people. Our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you’re supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next. For more information, Explore Our Benefits. US Salary Range: $166,000 – $220,000 USD #J-18808-Ljbffr Slope