Electrical Engineer, Thunder Payload Integration

Slope; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 129,000 - 194,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Top-tier benefits

Equity grants

Job summary

Anduril Industries is seeking an Electrical Engineer for its Costa Mesa location. The role involves owning the payload electrical architecture for autonomous platforms and designing key systems.

Required qualifications include 3–6 years of experience in aerospace electrical engineering and the ability to maintain U.S. Secret security clearance. A highly competitive salary ranging from $129,000 to $194,000 is offered, along with comprehensive benefits and equity grants.

Qualifications

• 3–6 years in aerospace or defense electrical engineering with payload or weapons electrical systems experience.
• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Own the payload electrical architecture and design power delivery.
• Implement the mission/vehicle management system electrical interface.

Skills

Aerospace or defense electrical engineering

Firing circuit design

Payload bus architecture

Aerospace harness design

GSE design

EMC analysis

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 TEAM

Anduril is seeking a Electrical Engineer to join the Maneuver Dominance team at our Costa Mesa HQ. The Maneuver Dominance (MD) Team at Anduril develops aerial robotic systems designed to operate in large coordinated teams in concert with ground maneuver forces. We leverage existing Anduril drone platforms like Ghost, Altius, or Roadrunner, in addition to bringing 3rd party platforms into Anduril’s Lattice ecosystem. We develop perception and autonomy algorithms to solve some of the hardest problems facing our customers.

We need an Electrical Engineer to own the payload power, data, and control electrical architecture — from the aircraft bus through the deployment mechanisms to the mission payloads — on this novel autonomous platform.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Own the payload electrical architecture — design power delivery, data, and control wiring from the aircraft bus to payload interfaces through deployment mechanisms
• Design firing circuits and payload control electronics — arming/safing logic, continuity test interfaces, and ground-to-aircraft handoff protocols for mission-critical payloads
• Define and implement the mission/vehicle management system (SMS/VMS) electrical interface for payload control — command, status, and safety interlock signals
• Design harness routing through articulated deployment mechanisms — connector mate/de‑mate logic and continuity assurance across all mechanism positions
• Design ground support equipment (GSE) — bench simulators, continuity test sets, and arming/safing control stations to support integration and range operations
• Perform EMC analysis for firing‑circuit‑class signals in a hybrid‑electric airframe environment — identify HERO/HERP/HERF risks and define mitigation
• Support lab verification of the payload electrical chain — bench test through simulated bus to payload connector before aircraft integration
• Support on‑aircraft integration and ground firing verification at range‑cleared facilities

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 3–6 years in aerospace or defense electrical engineering with payload or weapons electrical systems experience
• Firing circuit design — EED circuits, arming/safing logic, and safety analysis
• Payload bus architecture — power, data, and control from aircraft bus to payload
• Aerospace harness design, including wiring through dynamic or articulated environments
• GSE design for payload integration support
• EMC analysis for safety‑critical circuits (HERO/HERP/HERF awareness)
• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• MIL-STD-1760 implementation experience
• HERO/HERP/HERF electromagnetic hazard analysis
• Payload electrical integration on rotorcraft or VTOL platforms
• Hybrid‑electric or high‑voltage airframe EMC context
• Range operations support experience

Salary Range

$129,000 – $194,000 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 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.

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.