Manager, Manufacturing Engineering - Autonomous Airpower

Anduril; Costa Mesa (CA); In loco; USD 147.000 - 196.000; Tempo pieno

Descrizione del lavoro

Anduril Industries seeks a Manager of Manufacturing Engineering for Autonomous Airpower in Costa Mesa, CA. You will build and lead the team from prototype through LRIP to full-rate production, while staying hands-on to drive critical decisions and processes.

You will partner with chief engineers, program mgmt, and supply chain to ensure designs are manufacturable and scalable. Expect strategic leadership as the program grows, with emphasis on quality, safety, and cost reductions.

Competenze

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline is required.
• Proven experience leading manufacturing engineering teams in aerospace/defense.
• Experience scaling from prototype to production on complex hardware.

Mansioni

• Build and lead the manufacturing engineering team for the program.
• Act as a working manager, making technical decisions early.
• Develop production capability strategies and automation.
• Partner with chief engineers and design teams through lifecycle.
• Own documentation for manufacture of aircraft hardware at scale.
• Drive production readiness, tooling, MBOM maturity, and rate-readiness.
• Lead selection and installation of new manufacturing equipment.
• Drive continuous improvement for cost, quality, and throughput.
• Manage budgets and forecast manufacturing needs.
• Collaborate across program management, supply chain, operations, and quality.
• Serve as technical expert for manufacturing issues on the program.
• Analyze production metrics to identify improvement opportunities.
• Interface with customers on manufacturing strategy for the aircraft.
• Foster innovation, teamwork, and accountability in manufacturing.

Conoscenze

Leadership

Project management

Analytical thinking

Communication

Problem solving

Cross-functional collaboration

Manufacturing automation

Formazione

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering

Master's degree in engineering, business, or related field

Strumenti

MES

ERP

PLM

CAD software (CATIA, SolidWorks, NX)

Descrizione del lavoro

Manager, Manufacturing Engineering - Autonomous Airpower

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 ROLE

As the Manufacturing Engineering Manager for a new Autonomous Airpower aircraft program, you will build and lead the manufacturing engineering team from the ground up — from early prototyping through transition to full-rate production. This is a working-manager role: especially in the early phase of the program, you'll be deeply hands‑on, driving technical program decisions, authoring processes, and making DFM calls alongside the team you're building. As the program and team scale, your focus will shift toward strategic planning, cross‑functional leadership, and growing the next generation of manufacturing engineers.

This role is based in Costa Mesa, California, with a planned move to Anduril's Long Beach office when it opens. You will work closely with the Autonomous Airpower chief engineers, program management, growth, supply chain, and the broader AD&S Manufacturing Engineering organization to make sure what Design engineers create can be built reliably, repeatedly, and at scale.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Build and lead the manufacturing engineering team for a new Autonomous Airpower aircraft program — hiring, structuring the team, setting goals, providing technical direction, and evaluating performance.
• Act as a working manager — stay close to the engineering work, make technical program decisions, and own key manufacturing engineering deliverables yourself, especially during the early phase of the program when the team is lean.
• Develop and execute strategic plans for production capabilities, incorporating new technologies, methodologies, and automation across the aircraft's manufacturing lifecycle.
• Partner with chief engineers and design engineering during all phases of development — from concept trades and DFM input through design reviews, prototype and first-article builds, LRIP, and transition to full-rate production.
• Own documentation required to successfully manufacture aircraft hardware at scale, including work instructions, inspection plans and requirements, MBOMs, and process documentation.
• Drive production readiness activities — process capability assessments, tooling readiness, MBOM maturity, and rate-readiness planning.
• Lead the selection, installation, and commissioning of new manufacturing equipment, tooling, and processes, ensuring optimal integration into the production line.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives that result in cost reduction, quality enhancement, and throughput maximization across the program.
• Manage budgets and forecast future manufacturing needs across personnel, equipment, tooling, and materials.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams — program management, supply chain, operations, quality, and leadership — to drive production readiness and successful program execution.
• Serve as the technical expert and point of contact for manufacturing engineering issues on the program, providing guidance and support to resolve complex problems.
• Analyze production metrics and performance data to identify trends and opportunities for improvement.
• Interface with external customers in communicating the manufacturing strategy and plans for building the aircraft from development to full-rate production.
• Foster a culture of innovation, teamwork, and accountability within the manufacturing engineering organization.
• Ensure compliance with all safety, quality, and regulatory requirements within the manufacturing process.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering.
• Minimum 7+ years of manufacturing engineering experience in aerospace, defense, or complex hardware production environments, with at least 3 years in a managerial or technical lead role.
• Demonstrated experience developing products from scratch and scaling to production — ideally on aircraft or complex aerospace vehicle programs.
• Proven track record of cradle‑to‑grave ownership — from design input through process development, work instruction authoring, tooling definition, and production support.
• Experience hiring, developing, and leading manufacturing engineering teams.
• Experience driving process improvements and production readiness in a manufacturing setting.
• Strong DFM/DFA instincts — demonstrated ability to influence design decisions for manufacturability.
• Excellent project management skills and experience leading cross‑functional projects.
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and decision‑making capabilities.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively at all levels of the organization.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced and dynamic environment.
• Comfort as a working manager — willing and able to stay hands‑on in the technical work, not just managing from a distance.
• Technical expertise in manufacturing systems (MES, ERP, PLM).
• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience on aircraft programs — fixed‑wing, UAV, or autonomous air vehicles — from development through LRIP or full‑rate production.
• Previous experience designing, building out, and commissioning factories or new production lines (greenfield or brownfield).
• Experience across multiple manufacturing engineering disciplines: structures and composites, mechanical systems, fluid systems (hydraulic, fuel, pneumatic), propulsion integration, avionics, or wire harness manufacturing.
• Knowledge of low‑observ‑able (LO) coating, energetics, mission systems, or propulsion manufacturing.
• Experience transitioning hardware from prototype through first‑article to full‑rate production.
• Knowledge of AS9100, aerospace quality systems, and non‑conformance management processes.
• Experience with Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, or structured continuous improvement methodologies.
• Proficient in CAD software (CATIA, SolidWorks, NX, or equivalent) and familiar with modern manufacturing technologies and automation.
• Experience working with Teamcenter, SAP, Oracle, or similar PLM/ERP platforms.
• Personal experience physically manufacturing hardware via any means (machining, fabrication, soldering, assembly, etc.). Work on personal or extracurricular projects is a plus.
• Master's degree in engineering, business, or related field.
• Active U.S. Secret security clearance.

US Salary Range

$147,000 - $196,000 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 (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 .

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self‑identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Anduril Industries’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service‑connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three‑year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.