Staff Manufacturing Engineer, Autonomous Airpower

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 Air Dominance and Strike Division is one of Anduril’s fastest growing, most technically complex divisions. We develop and build collaborative combat aircraft, missiles, and the software that powers these autonomous weapons. We are scaling production of autonomous aircraft across our manufacturing facilities. Manufacturing Engineering drives process development, production readiness, and the transition from prototype to rate — ensuring that what Design engineers create can be built reliably, repeatedly, and at scale.

ABOUT THE JOB

Anduril is seeking a Staff Manufacturing Engineer to join the Autonomous Airpower manufacturing team in Costa Mesa, California. You will drive manufacturing strategy and lead transformational initiatives that define how autonomous aircraft are built at scale. This role spans the full breadth of manufacturing engineering disciplines and may focus on one or more of the following areas depending on your background: structures and composites, mechanical systems (landing gear, doors, actuators), fluid systems (hydraulic, fuel, pneumatic), propulsion integration, avionics, or harnessing and electrical integration.

At this level, you are one of the most technically deep manufacturing engineers in the organization. You architect production systems, develop multi-year manufacturing technology roadmaps, and lead enterprise-wide initiatives that fundamentally reshape manufacturing capabilities. You direct large-scale programs with cross-functional and potentially cross-site impact, pioneer novel manufacturing approaches, and serve as the company’s foremost authority in your area of specialization. You balance short-term production demands with long-term capability development and play a direct role in shaping the technical trajectory of the ME organization.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Drive enterprise-wide manufacturing strategies for autonomous aircraft production aligned with long-term business objectives
• Lead transformational initiatives that fundamentally redefine or establish manufacturing capabilities for new aircraft programs
• Architect next-generation production systems that create sustainable competitive advantages in cost, quality, and throughput
• Develop comprehensive manufacturing technology roadmaps spanning 3–5 year horizons
• Direct large-scale, cross-functional manufacturing programs with enterprise-wide impact, managing complex capital improvement portfolios
• Establish manufacturing excellence frameworks and engineering standards that become organizational benchmarks
• Pioneer novel manufacturing approaches that deliver step-change improvements in cost, quality, or production rate
• Serve as the foremost technical authority in your area of specialization, providing definitive direction on the most complex manufacturing challenges
• Establish design-for-manufacturing frameworks in partnership with design engineering that reduce product costs and improve producibility
• Develop comprehensive technical career paths and mentor high-potential engineers across the ME organization

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• 12+ years of manufacturing engineering experience in aerospace, defense, or complex hardware production environments
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering or equivalent hands-on manufacturing experience
• Recognized subject matter expertise in one or more manufacturing disciplines with a track record of enterprise-level impact
• Experience leading large-scale manufacturing programs or capital improvement portfolios ($2M+)
• Demonstrated history of developing and implementing manufacturing strategies that delivered transformational results
• Experience architecting production systems or leading new production line standup
• Strong cross-functional leadership skills — experience driving alignment between engineering, operations, supply chain, and business leadership
• Proficiency with CAD tools (CATIA, SolidWorks, NX, or equivalent) and production planning systems (ERP, MES, PLM)
• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Deep expertise in one or more of the following: composite structures, mechanical systems (landing gear, flight controls, doors), fluid systems (hydraulic, fuel, pneumatic), propulsion, avionics integration, or wire harness manufacturing
• Experience transitioning hardware from prototype through first-article to full-rate production
• Experience with aircraft or autonomous vehicle assembly at scale
• Experience developing proprietary manufacturing processes or methods with intellectual property value
• Knowledge of AS9100, aerospace quality systems, and advanced process control methodologies
• Experience working with Teamcenter, SAP, Oracle, or similar PLM/ERP platforms
• Master’s degree in Engineering or related technical field
• Active U.S. Secret security clearance

Per Anduril's expansion plans, we anticipate this job will be based out of Long Beach, CA beginning late 2027.

US Salary Range

$166,000—$220,000 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.

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