Air Vehicle Lead, Autonomous Aerial Systems

Anduril Industries; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 161,000 - 219,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity grants

Competitive benefits

Job summary

Anduril Industries is seeking an Air Vehicle Lead in Costa Mesa, CA to oversee mechanical development of autonomous air vehicles from concept through flight testing. You will shape requirements, drive architecture, and lead a team of engineers to deliver deployable systems.

The role requires 8+ years in aerospace, a strong CAD background, and an active U.S. Secret clearance. The position emphasizes hands-on design, fabrication, and collaboration with customers and vendors.

Qualifications

• BS in aerospace, mechanical engineering, or related field.
• MS in aerospace, mechanical engineering or related field preferred.
• Active U.S. Secret security clearance is required.
• Experience delivering air vehicle concepts to flight-ready systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead mechanical development of autonomous air vehicles from concept to flight test.
• Derive and shape requirements internally and with external stakeholders.
• Drive system architecture to meet performance, rate, and cost targets.
• Hands-on design, analysis, fabrication, and assembly of airframes and subsystems.
• Lead design reviews and present to customers; coordinate with vendors and test plans.
• Build prototypes, analyze failures, and transition successful projects to production.
• Travel to test sites and engage with customers as needed.
• Provide individual contributions while leading a multi-disciplinary team of engineers.

Skills

Aerospace design

CAD proficiency

Air vehicle development

Project leadership

Security clearance

Education

BS in aerospace/mechanical engineering or related field

MS in aerospace/mechanical engineering (preferred)

Tools

NX/Teamcenter

Job description

Anduril Industries is seeking an Air Vehicle Lead in Costa Mesa, CA to oversee mechanical development of autonomous air vehicles from concept through flight testing. You will shape requirements, drive architecture, and lead a team of engineers to deliver deployable systems.

The role requires 8+ years in aerospace, a strong CAD background, and an active U.S. Secret clearance. The position emphasizes hands-on design, fabrication, and collaboration with customers and vendors.