Manager, System Safety Engineering

Anduril; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 166,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Anduril Industries in Costa Mesa, CA, seeks a senior System Safety Engineering leader to guide safety across our product portfolio. You will develop and implement robust safety frameworks, lead complex analyses, and drive risk mitigation from concept through deployment.

This role combines hands-on technical work with strategic leadership, balancing rapid growth with rigorous safety discipline, and requires eligibility for a U.S. security clearance.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in System Safety Engineering.
• At least 1 year in a leadership role.
• Experience building and scaling technical teams (5+ engineers).
• Strong FHA/FTA/SCFTA/FMECA expertise.
• Knowledge of MIL-STD-882E and related safety standards.
• Background in defense/aerospace safety-critical hardware/software.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor System Safety Engineers across programs.
• Manage resources, capacity planning, and recruiting efforts.
• Conduct performance management and career development planning.
• Develop System Safety plans aligned with MIL-STD-882E.
• Define the organization’s vision and standardize safety processes.
• Oversee FHA, FTA, SCFTA, and SAR analyses.
• Develop safety requirements with design teams.
• Support Milestone Reviews (PDR/CDR/TRR).
• Engage with customers, regulators, and stakeholders on safety.
• Drive continuous improvement and regulatory compliance.

Skills

System Safety

Leadership

Hazard Analysis

Safety Standards

Team Building

Education

B.S. Engineering

M.S. Engineering

Tools

Relyence

Teamcenter

Confluence

JAMA

Cameo

JIRA

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 System Safety Engineering organization partners across Anduril's engineering, manufacturing, and operations organizations to ensure our autonomous systems are safe for development, testing, and deployment in complex operational environments. Our mandate spans the complete product lifecycle, from early concept design through production scale-up and fielded operations. We make our products safe by guiding product teams through safety analyses such as: Functional Hazard Analysis, Fault Trees, Hazard Management and Hazard Mitigation activities, identifying hazards early and partnering with design teams to engineer safety into hardware, software, and operations.

ABOUT THE JOB

We are seeking experienced System Safety Engineering leaders to join our rapidly growing team in Costa Mesa, CA and drive system safety excellence across Anduril’s product portfolio. As a System Safety leader at Anduril, you will play a critical role in developing and implementing robust safety frameworks. Your expertise will be instrumental in guiding product teams through the System Safety lifecycle, from initial concept through design, qualification, production, and field deployment. You will drive continuous improvement initiatives, lead the development of risk mitigation strategies, and foster a safety culture across the organization. Leveraging your deep knowledge of system safety tools (FHA, FTA, SCFTA, SSA, FMECA, etc.) and hazard analysis methodologies, you will ensure that our systems operate safely under diverse and demanding operating conditions.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Lead and manage the performance of a team of System Safety Engineers, providing technical guidance and mentorship on system safety principles, best practices, and artifact development.
• Manage resource allocation and capacity planning to support multiple concurrent programs, and drive recruiting efforts to maintain growth trajectory.
• Conduct performance management, career development planning, and succession planning.
• Develop and implement tailored System Safety program plans aligned with MIL-STD-882E and the needs of Anduril and its customers.
• Define and communicate the System Safety organization's vision, goals, and framework to standardize development efforts across the business and integrate safety processes across all stages of product development.
• Oversee and review complex safety analyses, including FHA (Functional Hazard Analysis), Fault Tree, SCFTA (Safety Critical Functional Thread Analysis), and SAR (Safety Assessment Report).
• Develop system safety requirements and collaborate with design teams to implement safety solutions.
• Support Milestone Reviews such as PDR, CDR, and TRR representing System Safety.
• Liaise with customers, regulatory bodies, and internal stakeholders on safety-related matters.
• Drive continuous improvement in System Safety processes and methodologies.
• Ensure compliance with relevant military and industry safety standards.
• Contribute to proposal efforts and support business development activities, as required.
• Provide management-level reporting and communications on team performance, program status, and strategic initiatives.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• B.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or equivalent technical discipline
• 7+ years of experience in System Safety Engineering, with at least 1 years in a leadership role
• Proven track record building, scaling, and managing technical teams of 5+ engineers for complex advanced programs
• Strong background in safety analysis techniques, including FTA, FHA, SCFTA, and FMECA.
• Extensive knowledge of MIL-STD-882E, JSSSEH or other relevant safety standards.
• Experience with safety-critical hardware and software systems in the defense or aerospace industry, with a preference for Weapon Systems
• Experience setting up a System Safety Engineering framework for a product or program, including early stage Design for Safety and Hazard Analysis experience
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with ability to influence cross-functionally at all levels
• Strategic thinking with ability to balance hands-on technical work with management responsibilities
• Eligibility to pursue and maintain a U.S. security clearance, as required

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• M.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or equivalent technical discipline
• 10+ years of experience in System Safety Engineering, with at least 3 years in a leadership role.
• Experience managing teams through periods of rapid growth (2x+ team expansion)
• Track record of developing talent and promoting team members into leadership roles
• Experience or familiarity with ISO 26262, ARP-4754, ARP-4761, and MIL-STD-516C
• Experience with software safety, software assurance, or Level of Rigor for safety-critical software systems
• Executive-level communications, reporting, and roadmap presentation experience
• Technical writing experience developing standards, specifications, user guides, and policies
• Experience with Relyence, Teamcenter, Confluence, JAMA, Cameo, and JIRA
• Experience drafting requirements for software and hardware systems
• Active U.S. security clearance

US Salary Range

$166,000 - $220,000 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.