Chief Engineer - Air Dominance & Strike - Autonomous Air Vehicles

Anduril Industries

  • Costa Mesa, CA
  • Permanent
  • Full-time
  • 1 month ago
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.The Air Dominance and Strike (AD&S) Chief Engineering Team is a driving force behind the technical execution and strategic vision of our most critical programs. They are responsible for architecting a vision for product development and guiding multi-disciplinary teams to deliver effectively. They are expected to own the mission and to be deeply involved in building the eco-system that enables execution.ABOUT THE JOB
You'll own the technical development of large aircraft from white paper sketches and conceptual design through detailed design, build, flight test, transition to production, and sustainment. This includes vehicle layout and conceptual design, airframe and propulsion system design and integration, guidance section development, payload and datalink integration, fabrication and flight test. These projects will be diverse in nature and require you to leverage your technical expertise as well as leadership skills to set objectives, build a team, and drive to completion. The ability to leverage your intuition and prior experience in programmatic level decision will play a key component in making sure the right design/analysis/ and test steps are being completed to ensure success without simply completing steps for the sake of the process that don't add value. The ideal candidate will leverage their experience executing and successfully completing prior highly optimized multi-disciplinary projects.WHAT YOU'LL DO:
  • Lead technical and programmatic execution of new and existing air vehicle systems design, fabrication, test, productization and sustainment.
  • Own the technical and programmatic success of your programs, establish technical and programmatic vision assemble teams of internal and external subject matter experts, and communicate that vision to them.
  • Set up trades to enable the exploration of early conceptual designs while working closely with technical SME's and Business Development teams to find the right solution to current and future gaps in the DOD capability to ensure the warfighter has the best solution for current and future conflicts.
  • Manage the detailed design of the system and subsystems including requirements development, sub-system trades and optimization, risk management etc. to ensure the appropriate consideration of design key performance parameters, schedule, costs and risks.
  • Coordinate the fabrication of prototype and low-rate production articles and subsystem/system level test efforts.
  • Support remotely deployed operations of your systems.
  • Work with senior leadership to ensure resource plans are adequate for work scope.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
  • Deep understanding of unmanned aircraft at and above Group 3 class
  • Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical or Software engineering, or equivalent experience in a relevant field.
  • Experience in a senior role leading air vehicle programs from initial concept through test and delivery to customers
  • Experience driving strategic direction in competitive landscapes, solving complex system optimization challenges under tight constraints.
  • Proven ability to deliver functional capabilities while aligning technical objectives with programmatic outcomes.
  • Demonstrated collaboration and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders
  • Strong understanding of the “why” behind Vehicle and Systems design.
  • Experience working on mission critical DOD systems
  • Experience troubleshooting and analyzing remotely deployed systems.
  • Travel up to 50% to Customer and Test Sites
  • Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance
US Salary Range$182,000—$273,000 USDThe 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:
  • Platinum Healthcare Benefits: For U.S. roles, we offer comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans at little to no cost to you.
  • For UK roles, Private Medical Insurance (PMI): Anduril will cover the full cost of the insurance premium for an employee and dependents.
  • For AUS roles, Private health plan through Bupa: Coverage is fully subsidized by Anduril.
  • Basic Life/AD&D and long-term disability insurance 100% covered by Anduril, plus the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your dependents.
  • Extremely generous company holiday calendar including a holiday hiatus in December, and highly competitive PTO plans.
  • 16 weeks of paid Caregiver & Wellness Leave to care for a family member, bond with your baby, or tend to your own medical condition.
  • Family Planning & Parenting Support: Fertility (eg, IVF, preservation), adoption, and gestational carrier coverage with additional benefits and resources to provide support from planning to parenting.
  • Mental Health Resources: We provide free mental health resources 24/7 including therapy, life coaching, and more. Additional work-life services, such as free legal and financial support, available to you as well.
  • A professional development stipend is available to all Andurilians.
  • Daily Meals and Provisions: For many of our offices this means breakfast, lunch and fully stocked micro-kitchens.
  • Company-funded commuter benefits available based on your region.
  • Relocation assistance (depending on role eligibility).
  • 401(k) retirement savings plan - both a traditional and Roth 401(k). (US roles only)
The recruiter assigned to this role can share more information about the specific compensation and benefit details associated with this role during the hiring process.Anduril is an equal-opportunity employer committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. The Anduril team is made up of incredibly talented and unique individuals, who together are disrupting industry norms by creating new paths towards the future of defense technology. All qualified applicants will be treated with respect and receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, uniform service, Veteran status, age, or any other protected characteristic per federal, state, or local law, including those with a criminal history, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the CA Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. We actively encourage members of recognized minorities, women, Veterans, and those with disabilities to apply, and we work to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all applicants throughout the interview process. If you are someone passionate about working on problems that have a real-world impact, we'd love to hear from you!To view Anduril's candidate data privacy policy, please visit .

Anduril Industries