Chief Engineer

Chief Engineer

Costa Mesa, California, United States

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century's most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril's family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.

About The Team

The Tactical Recon & Strike team at Anduril develops aerial small drones (Group 1-3) and all equipment to test, deploy and operate. The team is responsible for taking products like Ghost, Anvil, Bolt and Altius from concepts to operational systems. We work in close coordination with specialist teams to solve some of the hardest problems facing our customers. We are looking for software engineers, hardware engineers, roboticists, and front-end mobile developers who are excited about creating a powerful robotics platform that can be tasked and viewed in real-time through a variety of interfaces.

What You'll Do

• Conceptualize system architecture for upgrades and enhancements to existing vehicle systems
• Conceptual designs of small drones including sizing, system performance and initial prototyping
• Layout system design plans and interfaces for new UAV products and platforms
• Work within a team of multidisciplinary engineers and specialists throughout the life of UAV design and integration process
• Manage tactical engineering efforts, interfacing between different engineering and test disciplines
• Draft and develop test plans for critical subsystems, and support vehicle level acceptance testing
• Develop interface controls for partners and customers for hardware, software, and electrical integration of complex and unique payloads with existing and new Anduril UAVs
• Achieve maximum uptime by leading vehicle data analysis efforts to identify performance trends and develop predictive failure models
• Support build and benchtop testing of new vehicle systems
• Conduct hands-on UAV testing with occasional travel

Required Qualifications

• 7-10 years of industry experience including but not limited to system architecture
• Familiarity with concepts of systems engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, software development, and control theory
• Demonstrated experience with conceptual design and vehicle system architecture
• Proven track record of progressing from clean sheet design to functioning hardware
• Hands-on build and prototyping of complex robotic or aircraft systems
• A passion for systems development, integration, and testing
• Knowledge of electronics troubleshooting and ability to use basic test equipment
• Extremely organized and detail-oriented
• Excellent verbal & written communication skills
• A sincere commitment to fostering a positive, inclusive, and collaborative culture
• Ability to travel as required for test planning and execution
• Must be able to obtain and hold a U.S. Top Secret security clearance

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing electromechanical system models to inform the design, operation, and troubleshooting of complex subsystems
• Hands-on manufacturing and/or flight testing experience
• Experience in design engineering
• Experience in software engineering
• Understanding of aerodynamics, avionics, and flight systems

US Salary Range

$191,000 - $253,000 USD

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including:

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.

Protecting Yourself from Recruitment Scams

Anduril is committed to maintaining the integrity of our Talent acquisition process and the security of our candidates. We've observed a rise in sophisticated phishing and fraudulent schemes where individuals impersonate Anduril representatives, luring job seekers with false interviews or job offers. These scammers often attempt to extract payment or sensitive personal information.

To ensure your safety and help you navigate your job search with confidence, please keep the following critical points in mind:

• No Financial Requests: Anduril will never solicit payment or demand personal financial details (such as banking information, credit card numbers, or social security numbers) at any stage of our hiring process. Our legitimate recruitment is entirely free for candidates.

• Please always verify communications:
  • Direct from Anduril: If you receive an email from one of our recruiters, it will only come from an @anduril.com address.
  • Via Agency Partner: If contacted by a recruiting agency for an Anduril role, their email will clearly identify their agency. If you suspect any suspicious activity, please verify the agency's authenticity by reaching out to View email address on click.appcast.io.

• Exercise Caution with Unsolicited Outreach: If you receive any communication that appears suspicious, contains grammatical errors, or makes unusual requests, do not engage. Always confirm the sender's email domain is @anduril.com before providing any personal information or clicking on links.

• What to Do If You Suspect Fraud: Should you encounter any questionable or fraudulent outreach claiming to be from Anduril, please report it immediately to View email address on click.appcast.io. Your proactive caution is invaluable in protecting your personal information and upholding the security and trustworthiness of our recruitment efforts.

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By submitting your application, you consent to Anduril Industries using a third-party service provider to conduct pre-employment risk, integrity, and due diligence screening and assessing potential risks as part of your application process. This third-party service provider provides risk-intelligence services that may include analysis of sanctions and watchlists, adverse media, public-record information, and other lawful open-source or commercial data sources. This third-party service provider does not act as a consumer reporting agency. Use of this provider helps to ensure compliance with applicable laws and protect technology, intellectual property, and organizational security.