Lead Hardware Engineer

Anduril Industries; Waltham (MA); On-site; USD 191,000 - 253,000; Full time

Job summary

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company delivering cutting-edge EO/IR systems. The Lead Hardware Engineer for the ladar product line owns end-to-end hardware architecture across mechanical, electrical, optical, and test disciplines, moving designs from prototypes through EDU and into scaled production, with responsibility for sustainment and evolution.

You will shape hardware strategy, lead a small team, and work with the Chief Engineer to ensure milestones are met and designs perform

Qualifications

• 8+ years developing complex electromechanical, electro-optical, or active sensing systems.
• Experience managing NPI and hardware scaling or sustainment at scale.
• Strong cross-functional leadership in fast-paced environments.

Responsibilities

• Own domain-specific hardware architecture across mechanical, electrical, optical, and test disciplines.
• Lead the transition of hardware from prototype to high-rate EMD production.
• Drive milestones: Hardware SRR, PDR, CDR, and Manufacturing Readiness Reviews.
• Own NPI hardware builds and ensure field testing readiness.
• Design and ruggedize test equipment for efficient production testing.
• Define and track hardware V+V metrics for reliability.
• Collaborate with the Chief Engineer and staffing leads to maintain strong hardware teams.
• Oversee hardware CI, configuration control, and rapid issue resolution.

Skills

Hardware engineering

System design

Leadership

Travel availability

Security clearance

Electro-optical systems

Education

Technical bachelor’s degree or higher

Tools

Environmental testing equipment

V+V testing equipment

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

The Anduril Imaging team develops state-of-the-art imaging systems across both hardware and software, deployed to tackle the most significant security challenges of America and its allies. The team is heavily involved in utilizing computer vision, perception, electro-optical, infrared, and sensor data to give our war fighters and allies an advantage.

About The Job

As the Lead Hardware Engineer for our ladar product line, you will be responsible for the domain-specific detailed technical execution, hardware architecture, and engineering execution across all hardware disciplines (mechanical, electrical, optical, and test). You will transition our high-precision active electro-optical (EO) systems from early-stage prototypes and Engineering Development Units (EDUs) through Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD), and ultimately into scaled, high-rate production. Anduril Imaging Hardware Lead Engineers are responsible for hardware architecture, development execution, and overall technical strategy for land, sea, air, and space EO/IR applications. In this role, you will lead trade studies to define EO/IR system architectures, lead the multidisciplinary detailed design, analysis, and integration and test of EO/IR prototypes and products. You will lead a small team of engineers from concept ideation through system definition and development. You will carry products in your portfolio through NPI into production, and have overall oversight in to hardware sustainment and evolutionary development activities. You will help shape internal and external investment priorities to grow the scope and impact of your product family.

What You'll Do

• Define the "How" of Hardware: Own domain-specific hardware architecture, component selection, physical design, and detailed mechanical, electrical, optical, and test engineering.
• Transition and Scale Production: Lead the critical transition of our hardware from low-volume, hard-to-build prototype units to a high-rate EMD production environment.
• Deliver Major Milestones: Lead hardware preparation, technical artifacts, and clear-to-build criteria for upcoming program milestones, including Hardware SRR, PDR, CDR, and Manufacturing Readiness Reviews (MRR).
• Manage EMD & NPI Builds: Own the hardware side of New Product Introduction (NPI). Coordinate, inventory, and lead the assembly of final EDU and EMD-1 builds, ensuring they are ready for field testing and environmental Design Verification Testing (DVT).
• Design & Ruggedize Test Equipment: Architect, build, and ruggedize manufacturing and optical test equipment to ensure highly efficient, repeatable, and automated testing on the production floor.
• Define V+V Metrics: Define, implement, and track hardware Verification and Validation (V+V) metrics Lead HW to ensure absolute system reliability in extreme physical environments.
• Staffing & Collaboration: Partner closely with the Chief Engineer. Work directly with functional engineering leads to ensure your product line has sufficient, high-performing hardware engineering staffing.
• Hardware Sustainment: Own the detailed hardware Continuous Improvement (CI) roadmap, oversee the hardware Configuration Control/Change Review Board (CRB), and drive rapid resolution of hardware field issues

Required Qualifications

• Education: Degree in a technical field such as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, optical engineering, systems engineering, physics, or a hard science.
• Experience: 8+ years of experience developing and deploying complex electromechanical, electro-optical, or active sensing systems.
• Technical Breadth: Deep engineering skillset spanning mechanical, electrical, optical, and test disciplines, with proven experience performing system design, architecture definition, and performance modeling.
• NPI & Scale Experience: Proven experience managing New Product Introduction (NPI), leading initial system builds, and managing hardware scaling or sustainment at scale.
• Leadership: Strong track record of leading high-performance, cross-functional engineering teams in a fast-paced environment.
• Travel: Willingness to travel to test sites and manufacturing facilities as needed.
• Must be able to obtain and hold a U.S. security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ladar/EO Domain Expertise: Direct experience defining, designing, and testing active optical/imaging systems, Ladar/Lidar, or high-precision pointing architectures.
• TRL Transition Experience: Proven success transitioning hardware from low Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) / rapid prototyping environments to high-reliability, qualified EMD and production programs.
• Testing & DVT: Strong hands-on experience with environmental testing standards (thermal, shock, vibration) and using advanced design, simulation, and optical test equipment.
• Supply Chain and Operations: Familiarity with supply chain coordination, inventory management, and defining "clear to build" metrics for complex assemblies.

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.