Director, Test & Evaluation - Robotics

Anduril Industries; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 220,000 - 292,000; Full time

Job summary

Anduril Industries is seeking a Director of Test & Evaluation – Robotics in Costa Mesa, CA. You will lead end-to-end test and evaluation for unmanned hardware, driving validation of Lattice C2 and Collaborative Autonomy capabilities.

The role emphasizes scaling automated SIL/HIL frameworks, field testing, and safety-focused leadership across Test Operations, Test Engineering, and Test Automation. The ideal candidate has extensive multi-domain testing experience, strong software/hardware

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, robotics, or related technical field.
• 10+ years of experience in testing unmanned aerial systems with at least 5 years in a leadership position.
• Proven expertise in software and hardware integration for complex autonomous systems.
• Demonstrated success leading flight test operations as a Test Director for mission-critical platforms.
• Strong understanding of aviation regulations and compliance requirements for unmanned systems.
• Experience managing technical teams with diverse skill sets across operations and engineering.
• Exceptional problem-solving abilities for troubleshooting complex hardware and software issues.
• Outstanding communication skills for conveying technical concepts to stakeholders at all levels.
• Flexibility to travel to test sites as required.
• Current FAA Part 107 certification or ability to obtain one.

Responsibilities

• Lead both the Flight Test Team and Test Engineering Team, providing technical guidance.
• Establish and refine flight test methodologies for evaluating mission autonomy with surrogate vehicles.
• Develop long-term capacity planning for flight test capabilities to support product initiatives.
• Drive V&V of Lattice C2 and Collaborative Autonomy behaviors.
• Architect and scale automated SIL, HIL, and regression test pipelines for field deployment.
• Oversee live test execution, test infrastructure, range safety, instrumentation, and telemetry pipelines.
• Collaborate with Product, Engineering, and PM to align test strategies with roadmaps.
• Cultivate safety standards, regulatory adherence, and performance.
• Ensure compliance with FAA, FCC, and other regulatory requirements in flight tests.
• Manage resource allocation, budgeting, and scheduling for test campaigns across programs.
• Create and implement standardized metrics and KPIs to measure test effectiveness.

Skills

Flight test leadership

Test operations

Software/hardware integration

Regulatory compliance

Cross-functional collaboration

Travel flexibility

FAA Part 107

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering, CS, robotics

Tools

Python

C++

Linux

CI/CD

Git

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 Role

The Director of Test & Evaluation – Robotics will provide executive and technical leadership across Anduril’s Test Operations, Test Engineering, and Test Automation teams. In this role, you will lead end to end test and evaluation across multi-domain unmanned hardware, driving the integration and validation of Lattice Command & Control (C2) and Collaborative Autonomy (CA) capabilities.

You will accelerate engineering development by scaling automated SIL/HIL frameworks and high-tempo field testing. The ideal candidate brings extensive multi-domain testing experience, deep software/hardware integration understanding, and a proven track record of building safety critical test organizations that accelerate mission ready deployments.

What You’ll Do

• Lead both the Flight Test Team and Test Engineering Team, providing technical guidance and mentorship
• Establish and refine flight test methodologies for evaluating mission autonomy capabilities using surrogate vehicles in fast-paced test environments
• Develop long-term capacity planning for flight test capabilities to support future product initiatives and company growth
• Drive the verification and validation (V&V) of Lattice C2 and Collaborative Autonomy behaviors
• Architect and scale automated SIL, HIL, and regression test pipelines, ensuring software changes are thoroughly vetted before deploying to physical hardware in the field.
• Oversee live test execution, test infrastructure, range safety protocols, instrumentation, and real-time telemetry pipelines across test ranges.
• Drive cross-functional collaboration with Product, Engineering, and Program Management to align test strategies with product development roadmaps
• Cultivate a strong organizational foundation focused on safety standards, regulatory adherence, and performance
• Ensure compliance with FAA, FCC, and other regulatory requirements throughout all flight test operations
• Manage resource allocation, budgeting, and scheduling for flight test campaigns across multiple programs
• Create and implement standardized processes, metrics, and KPIs to measure test effectiveness and drive continuous improvement

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, robotics, or related technical field
• 10+ years of experience in testing unmanned aerial systems with at least 5 years in a leadership position
• Proven expertise in both software and hardware integration for complex autonomous systems
• Demonstrated success leading flight test operations as a Test Director for mission-critical platforms
• Strong understanding of aviation regulations and compliance requirements for unmanned systems
• Experience managing technical teams with diverse skill sets across operations and engineering
• Exceptional problem-solving abilities for troubleshooting complex hardware and software issues
• Outstanding communication skills for conveying technical concepts to stakeholders at all levels
• Flexibility to adapt to dynamic schedules and willingness to travel to test sites as required
• Current FAA Part 107 certification or ability to obtain one

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in a relevant technical or management field
• Direct experience with multi-agent collaborative autonomy, swarming architectures, or distributed Command & Control (C2) systems.
• Proficiency with modern software tools (Python, C++, Linux, CI/CD pipelines, Git) for automated data parsing and telemetry analytics.
• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Top Secret SCI security clearance

US Salary Range

$220,000—$292,000 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.

Data Privacy

To view Anduril’s candidate data privacy policy, please visit https://anduril.com/applicant-privacy-notice/.

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.