Lead Manufacturing Test Engineer

Anduril; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans

Generous PTO and caregiver leave

Mental health resources

Professional development reimbursement

401(k) options for retirement savings

Job summary

A leading defense technology company in Costa Mesa is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer. The role involves ownership of the manufacturing value chain, developing tooling solutions, and collaborating with contract manufacturers for quick-turn development. Candidates should have a degree in engineering and at least 2 years of relevant experience, with a passion for creative problem solving in a resource-constrained environment. The role offers competitive compensation and extensive benefits including health coverage and retirement plans.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 2 years experience in manufacturing or design of electromechanical hardware.
• Experience in a resource-constrained environment delivering hardware.
• Demonstrated leadership skills with examples.

Responsibilities

• Own a portion of the manufacturing value chain for specific products.
• Develop tooling solutions for fabrication and assembly.
• Work with contract manufacturers to develop repeatable processes.

Skills

Creative problem solving

Electromechanical manufacturing

Team leadership

Interest in manufacturing

Education

Degree in engineering, math, or hard science

Tools

Machining

Fabrication

Soldering

Assembly

Job description

Overview

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’s Manufacturing team is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer to join our team. The Manufacturing Team is responsible for rapidly iterating and building cutting-edge defense hardware, including static equipment, moving ground equipment, and flight vehicles. This responsibility includes everything in the manufacturing value-chain, including, but not limited to, Design for Manufacturability work, tool design & selection, process creation & optimization, vendor sourcing & interaction, quality planning, and work documentation associated with the hardware that the Manufacturing Engineer owns. The right person for this role can demonstrate past holistic ownership on solving a technical challenge with a creative, physical, solution that they either personally manufacturing or oversaw manufacturing on, in a fast-paced, resource-limited environment. If you are someone who thrives in such an environment, then this role is for you.

What You'll Do

• Own a portion or all of the manufacturing value chain for a certain product or set of products
• Develop novel tooling solutions for fabrication and assembly of structural parts
• Develop process flows, breaking down large, complex assemblies into a logical part flow of subassemblies and sub-processes
• Write documentation required for successfully manufacturing their hardware at scale, such as work instructions, quality plans, inspection requirements, etc.
• Work with contract manufacturers across various disciplines (PCBA fab, metallic manufacturing, assembly, etc.) to develop repeatable, sustained processes for quick-turn development as well as at-scale production
• Work with technicians and other engineers hands-on, building prototype hardware
• Contribute to end-customer hardware mechanical or electrical design, including interconnects, board fabrication and inspection, etc.
• Travel to suppliers to do initial sourcing work, solve ongoing production issues, and implement quality procedures

Required Qualifications

• Degree in a technical field such as engineering, math, or a hard science
• 2+ years of experience in a relevant field, preferably manufacturing or design of electromechanical hardware
• Demonstrated ability to creatively deliver electromechanical hardware in a resource-constrained environment
• Demonstrated in-kind or direct team leadership skills, with backing examples
• Personal experience physically manufacturing hardware via any means (machining, fabrication, soldering, assembly, etc.) Work on personal or extracurricular projects is a plus.
• A genuine interest in manufacturing and thirst for learning
• U.S. Person status is required as this position needs to access export controlled data

Preferred Qualifications

• PCBA fabrication experience including prior work with or setup/modification/monitoring SMT processes
• Hands-on experience with R/C and/or autonomous flight vehicles, flight controllers, or other related control systems
• Software scripting experience in any language

Salary and 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:

Healthcare Benefits

• US Roles: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans at little to no cost to you.
• UK & AUS Roles: We cover full cost of medical insurance premiums for you and your dependents.
• IE Roles: We offer an annual contribution toward your private health insurance for you and your dependents.

Additional Benefits

• Income Protection: Anduril covers life and disability insurance for all employees.
• Generous time off: Highly competitive PTO plans with a holiday hiatus in December. Caregiver & Wellness Leave is available to care for family members, bond with a new baby, or address your own medical needs.
• Family Planning & Parenting Support: Coverage for fertility treatments (e.g., IVF, preservation), adoption, and gestational carriers, along with resources to support you and your partner from planning to parenting.
• Mental Health Resources: Access free mental health resources 24/7, including therapy and life coaching. Additional work-life services, such as legal and financial support, are also available.
• Professional Development: Annual reimbursement for professional development
• Commuter Benefits: Company-funded commuter benefits based on your region.
• Relocation Assistance: Available depending on role eligibility.

Retirement Savings Plan

• US Roles: Traditional 401(k), Roth, and after-tax (mega backdoor Roth) options.
• UK & IE Roles: Pension plan with employer match.
• AUS Roles: Superannuation plan.

The recruiter assigned to this role can share more information about the specific compensation and benefit details associated with this role during the hiring process.

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