Legal Counsel, Real Estate & Construction

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

Benefits offered by this job

Equity grants

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

Anduril Industries is seeking a highly experienced Real Estate and Construction Attorney to join our in‑house legal team in Costa Mesa, CA or Washington DC. This role will advise on all aspects of real estate and construction law from an owner/developer/tenant perspective, ensuring projects meet schedules and legal requirements.

You will drive contracts, transactions, and permitting for facilities, collaborate with real estate, design/construction and environmental health/safety teams, and

Qualifications

• JD from a top‑tier law school.
• Minimum 7 years practicing construction and real estate law, representing owners/developers/tenants.
• Active bar membership with ability to become California authorized.
• Strong drafting, negotiating and interpretation of standard contract forms (AIA, ConsensusDocs).
• Understanding of Design‑Bid‑Build, Design‑Build, CM at Risk, GMP.

Responsibilities

• Draft and negotiate contracts for development and construction projects (construction contracts, MSAs, design professional agreements, real estate purchase/lease, licenses).
• Support transactional lifecycle: LOIs, due diligence, title/survey, zoning, internal approvals.
• Provide day‑to‑day legal advice to Real Estate, Design/Construction, and EHS teams; land use and permitting support; energy procurement and environmental review.

Skills

7+ years in construction and real est.

Bar admission in at least one US state

AIA & ConsensusDocs knowledge

Construction delivery methods (DBB/CM/

Education

Juris Doctor (JD) 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’s Legal Real Estate Team is a resourceful, fast‑acting, and creative legal partner to Anduril’s real estate, design, and construction teams. Anduril’s development projects include high‑performance manufacturing facilities, cutting‑edge R&D spaces, mission‑critical secure environments, test sites, and collaborative and flexible office spaces all over the world. Legal Real Estate is a key piece of moving these complex and unique development projects forward on aggressive timelines through contract negotiations, permitting oversight, land due diligence, and energy procurement.

About The Job

We are looking for a highly experienced Real Estate and Construction Attorney to join our rapidly growing legal team in either Costa Mesa, California or Washington D.C. This role will act as a critical legal expert for our real estate, construction, and environmental teams, advising on all aspects of real estate and construction law from an owner/developer/tenant perspective. You will be instrumental in driving the contracts, transactions, and permits necessary to ensure Anduril’s facilities are delivered on schedule and in compliance with applicable law.

What You’ll Do

• Draft and negotiate contracts related to Anduril’s development and construction projects, including construction contracts, master services agreements, design professionals agreements, real estate purchase and lease agreements, license and access agreements, and others.
• Support all phases of the transactional life cycle, including letters of intent, due diligence, title and survey, zoning, and internal approvals.
• Provide day‑to‑day legal advice and support to the real estate, design and construction, and environmental health and safety teams, including land use and entitlement support, air permitting strategy, energy procurement, and environmental review.
• Maintain and improve contract templates and playbooks to reflect current law, regulatory requirements, and market standards.
• Provide real‑time guidance to project executives and operational leaders regarding contract interpretation, change order management, schedule impacts, differing site conditions, force majeure events, acceleration claims, and contract notice requirements.
• Manage outside counsel on selected matters, including setting scope, approving budget, reviewing work product, driving timely execution, and maintaining cost discipline consistent with business priorities.

Required Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree from a top‑tier accredited law school.
• A minimum of 7 years of experience practicing construction and real estate law, with a focus on representing owners, developers, or sophisticated tenants in commercial, industrial, or high‑tech construction and leasing projects.
• Active membership in good standing with the bar in at least one U.S. state, with the ability to become authorized to practice in California (e.g., through California Bar membership or California Registered In‑House Counsel status).
• Demonstrated expertise in drafting, negotiating, and interpreting common construction contract forms, including comprehensive knowledge of AIA (American Institute of Architects) document families (e.g., A101, A201, B101, C401) and ConsensusDocs.
• Strong understanding of various construction project delivery methods (e.g., Design‑Bid‑Build, Design‑Build, CM at Risk, GMP).
• Proven ability to manage a large portfolio of concurrent matters in a fast‑paced environment, proactively identifying issues and driving projects to completion with urgency and precision.
• Proven ability to provide clear, pragmatic, and business‑focused legal advice to executive leadership and project teams in a fast‑paced environment.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with meticulous attention to detail.
• Willing and able to work in Anduril’s Costa Mesa, California or Washington D.C. office full‑time. Our team thrives on in‑person collaboration so remote/hybrid is not available.
• Willingness to travel to development sites both domestic and international.
• Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export‑controlled information or facilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior in‑house legal experience within a real estate development firm, a company with significant capital expenditures for facility build‑outs, or a technology/manufacturing company with a large real estate portfolio.
• Experience with government construction contracting regulations and nuances.
• Knowledge of environmental laws (including NEPA, CEQA, or state equivalents), zoning, and land use regulations as they pertain to large‑scale construction and development.
• Experience establishing templates, playbooks and processes from scratch in a rapidly scaling environment.
• Familiarity with prevailing wage requirements, Davis‑Bacon Act compliance, or labor regulations applicable to construction projects.
• Experience with construction dispute resolution, including mediation, arbitration, or pre‑litigation claims management.
• Undergraduate degree in engineering, construction management, architecture, or a related technical field.

US Salary Range

$220,000—$292,000 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.

Data Privacy

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