Lead Production Technician, AFS (2nd Shift)

Slope; Santa Ana (CA); On-site; USD 45,000 - 59,000; Full time

Job summary

Anduril Industries requires a Lead Production Technician to join our manufacturing team at our Costa Mesa, CA HQ. You will lead a skilled team to produce UAS for strategic customers, applying advanced assembly, troubleshooting, and safety practices on the floor.

The role demands hands-on leadership, strong documentation interpretation, and the ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining quality and on-time delivery. Prior experience with MES/ERP systems is essential.

Qualifications

• 3+ years experience in production-oriented manufacturing or electro-mechanical technician fields.
• Experience leading a team in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Experience working with ERP and MES systems (NetSuite, JIRA, SQL, Tableau).
• Understanding of the product life cycle (NPI to scaled production), LEAN manufacturing principles, and change management (ECOs).
• Ability to interpret technical documentation (mechanical drawings, work instructions, building plans, equipment specs, electrical schematics).
• Extremely reliable, organized and detail-oriented with excellent verbal & written communication skills.
• U.S. Person status is required as this position needs to access export controlled data.
• Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export controlled information or facilities

Responsibilities

• Lead technician staff in the production and delivery of UAS through factory acceptance.
• Apply advanced hardware assembly, troubleshooting and repair skills on the line.
• Use hand tools, assembly tooling and general manufacturing equipment.
• Follow documented build instructions and safety procedures.
• Improve work area safety and efficiency through audits and continuous improvement.
• Prioritize activities to meet on-time delivery goals and manage multiple priorities.
• Participate in 5S and process improvement activities and provide feedback.
• Record daily transactions in MES, NetSuite, JIRA, SQL, Tableau.
• Report production progress, blockers, risks, and needs weekly.
• Train new operators and support onboarding as required.

Skills

Team leadership

ERP/MES systems

LEAN manufacturing

Product life cycle

Documentation interpretation

Attention to detail

U.S. Person status

Export control awareness

Education

Associate/Bachelor degree

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 Frontier Systems (AFS) is focused on positioning Anduril as a lead provider of specialized engineering and products for Intelligence Community (IC) customers. We work within the IC to understand their requirements, shape their concepts of operation, and deliver exquisite capability across their problem set. We aim to develop and deploy critically needed capabilities that address our customers’ most pressing national security requirements.

ABOUT THE JOB

We are seeking aLead Production Technicianto join our manufacturing team at Anduril to support AIS. In this role you will be responsible for supporting our AFS team at our HQ in Costa Mesa, CA. Here you will work on cutting-edge technology aimed at advancing the state-of-the-possible. The Lead Production Technician will lead a team of highly talented technicians to produce UAS for strategic military and commercial customers. This is a highly dynamic role that requires both frontline technical skills.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• The Lead Production Technician will report to the Production Manager and work alongside other Production Technicians, leading technician staff in the production and delivery of UAS through factory acceptance
• While executing manufacturing operations, apply a higher level of knowledge and skills in hardware assembly, troubleshooting and repair
• Apply competency in use of hand tools, assembly tooling and general manufacturing equipment
• Utilize reading and comprehension skills to follow documented build instructions
• Ensure all operators are following safety procedures and standard work tasks. Improve work area safety and efficiency through regular auditing and constant scrutiny
• Prioritize work activities for operators to achieve target on time delivery goals. Handle multiple priorities, organize workload, and meet deadlines. Ensure they are working on the right thing at the right time
• Be an active participant in 5S and continuous improvement activities. Provide feedback on ways to improve building process
• Complete transactions in computer production systems (MES, NetSuite, JIRA, SQL, Tableau) on daily basis
• Assist in weekly report out of production progress, blockers, risks, and needs.
• Be aware of the escalation path for problems that arise on the floor and follow through to completion
• Ability to work on the line, provide training and support new operator training as required.
• Complete certification training and maintain required certifications, as required
• Build a positive and collaborative team culture that promotes product knowledge, skills development, and X-training
• Maintain a regular and predictable work schedule
• Show up every day with a high level of urgency and enthusiasm to get the job done
• Perform detailed daily record keeping and reporting

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 3+ years experience in production-oriented manufacturing or electro-mechanical technician fields
• Prior experience leading a team either in-kind or directly, in a fast-paced manufacturing environment
• Experience working with ERP and MES systems (NetSuite, JIRA, SQL, Tableau)
• A full understanding of the product life cycle (NPI to scaled production), LEAN manufacturing principals, and change management (ECOs)
• Can interpret technical documentation (mechanical drawings, work instructions, building plans, equipment specs, electrical schematics, etc.)
• Extremely reliable, organized and detail-oriented with excellent verbal & written communication skills
• U.S. Person status is required as this position needs to access export controlled data
• Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export controlled information or facilities

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in a technical field (engineering, business, or applied science.)
• 2+ years in a lead or production operations role
• Prior hands-on experience with kit, model, or experimental builds
• Lean six sigma green belt certified
• Working knowledge of AS9100 standards and OSHA laws
• A& P certification a plus
• Experience in UAS industries
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Top Secret Security Clearance

US Hourly Range

$33 - $43 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.