Chief Engineer, Intelligence Systems

Anduril Industries; Reston (VA); On-site; USD 191,000 - 253,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive equity grants

Comprehensive benefits package

Job summary

Anduril Industries, based in Reston, Virginia, is seeking a Chief Engineer to provide senior technical leadership across major defense projects. In this role, you will lead interdisciplinary teams, establish technical direction, and ensure best practices in system development. Candidates should have a Bachelor's degree in a relevant field and a minimum of 12 years of experience in autonomous systems, as well as the ability to maintain a U.S. Top Secret Clearance. The salary range for this position is $191,000–$253,000 USD.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 12 years of experience in autonomous systems and defense applications.
• Experience in technical management/engineering role with cross-disciplinary teams.
• Ability to maintain an active U.S. Top Secret Clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead interdisciplinary team to develop integrated systems for multi‑purpose missions.
• Set technical vision and guide system architecture developments.
• Mentor junior engineers and support customer engagements as technical SME.

Skills

Technical leadership

Robotics

Systems Architecture

Payload integration

Rapid integration timeline

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering or related

Job description

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 Job

A Chief Engineer at Anduril provides senior technical leadership and oversight on products across major defense projects. They establish technical direction and engineering standards for significant system developments. They make critical technical decisions that impact product design, accompanying project execution, program success and company strategy. They are also a critical partner in customer engagement and management, and can act as a co‑lead with the Program Manager. Chief Engineers are seen as the responsible party for their products, and are held accountable for technical delivery and safety.

What You’ll Do

• Lead interdisciplinary team (e.g., Software, Hardware, Robotics, T&E) to develop and deliver integrated systems for multi‑purpose missions.
• Set technical vision and define system architecture to guide overarching development efforts
• Establish and maintain best practices for system development, including software standards, code reviews, configuration management, build processes, testing, etc.
• Triage issues, conduct root cause analysis of failures, and coordinate next steps with engineering teams
• Mentor junior engineers and ensure technical team is professionally developing at tenure‑appropriate levels
• Support local engagements with the local customer as the technical SME
• Travel up to 25% of time to build, test, and deploy capabilities at Anduril test ranges and customer‑directed sites

Core Requirements

• Currently possesses and is able to maintain an active U.S. Top Secret Clearance
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field
• A minimum of 12 years of experience in autonomous systems, robotics, and defense applications within the intelligence or defense communities
• Experience in a technical management/engineering role, leading teams to integrate software and hardware solutions.
• Experience developing and executing complex technical programs to include
  • Payload, sensor integration
  • Navigation / Autonomy
  • Networking / Communications
  • Optical sensing, radar, RF, EW
  • UAS Systems
• Systems Architecture - Payload integration level (Delivered the systems specifically)
• Rapid integration timeline and field testing/field deployment

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with SITL and HITL simulation environments and the execution of comprehensive testing programs
• Experience deploying technical solutions in the field both foreign and domestic

US Salary Range

$191,000—$253,000 USD

Benefits

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:

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.