Manufacturing Engineer II, Autonomous Airpower

XYZ Venture Capital; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 129,000 - 171,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity grants

Benefits package

Job summary

Anduril Industries is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer II to join the Autonomous Airpower manufacturing team in Costa Mesa, CA. You will own portions of the manufacturing value chain for autonomous aircraft hardware, implement and refine processes, and mentor engineers on the shop floor.

You will analyze workflows, design tooling, and provide practical, real-time solutions to minimize downtime while driving improvements and maintaining quality standards in a fast-paced production environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering or equivalent hands‑on manufacturing experience.
• 4+ years of manufacturing engineering experience in aerospace/defense/complex hardware environments.
• Experience authoring work instructions, manufacturing plans, and quality documentation for hardware builds.

Responsibilities

• Own the manufacturing value chain for assigned aircraft subsystems or assemblies from process development to work instruction authoring and production support.
• Implement and refine manufacturing processes to hit production targets and quality standards.
• Analyze workflows to identify bottlenecks and drive cycle time reductions.
• Author and maintain work instructions, quality plans, inspection requirements, and manufacturing BOMs for consistent hardware builds.
• Design tooling and fixtures using CAD for production layouts.
• Provide DFM/DFA feedback to design engineering and communicate constraints.

Skills

Manufacturing engineering

Lean Six Sigma

CAD tools

Project management

Troubleshooting

Vendor coordination

Security clearance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

CATIA

SolidWorks

NX

Teamcenter

SAP

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

The Air Dominance and Strike Division is one of Anduril’s fastest growing, most technically complex divisions. We develop and build collaborative combat aircraft, missiles, and the software that powers these autonomous weapons. We are scaling production of autonomous aircraft across our manufacturing facilities. Manufacturing Engineering drives process development, production readiness, and the transition from prototype to rate — ensuring that what Design engineers create can be built reliably, repeatedly, and at scale.

About the Job

Anduril is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer II to join the Autonomous Airpower manufacturing team in Costa Mesa, California. You will own portions of the manufacturing value chain for autonomous aircraft hardware — implementing and refining manufacturing processes to hit production targets and quality standards. This role spans the full breadth of manufacturing engineering disciplines and may focus on one or more of the following areas depending on your background: structures and composites, mechanical systems (landing gear, doors, actuators), fluid systems (hydraulic, fuel, pneumatic), propulsion integration, avionics, or harnessing and electrical integration.

At this level, you are expected to execute manufacturing engineering projects with moderate supervision, manage your own timelines and priorities, and begin mentoring junior engineers and technicians. You bring solid manufacturing fundamentals, hands‑on experience on a production floor, and the ability to analyze workflows, identify bottlenecks, and drive targeted improvements. You are comfortable designing tooling and fixtures, troubleshooting production issues in real time, and translating technical constraints into actionable information for cross-functional partners.

What You’ll Do

• Own the manufacturing value chain for assigned aircraft subsystems or assemblies — from process development through work instruction authoring, tooling definition, and production support
• Implement and refine manufacturing processes to achieve production targets and quality standards for your subsystems
• Analyze current workflows to identify bottlenecks and drive targeted cycle time reductions
• Author and maintain work instructions, quality plans, inspection requirements, and manufacturing BOMs that enable technicians to build hardware consistently
• Proficiently utilize CAD software to design tooling, fixtures, and production layouts for aircraft assemblies
• Provide DFM/DFA feedback to design engineering, communicating manufacturing constraints and suggesting alternatives based on hands‑on production experience
• Execute assigned manufacturing engineering projects — managing timelines, coordinating with vendors and internal teams, and tracking progress to engineering leadership
• Troubleshoot production issues in real time, developing practical solutions to minimize downtime on the factory floor
• Apply Lean and Six Sigma tools (5S, value stream mapping, FMEA) to specific production areas and lead smaller improvement initiatives
• Mentor junior engineers and technicians, providing guidance on routine assignments and manufacturing best practices

What We’re Looking For

• 4+ years of manufacturing engineering experience in aerospace, defense, or complex hardware production environments
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering or equivalent hands‑on manufacturing experience
• Demonstrated experience implementing and refining manufacturing processes on a production floor
• Experience authoring work instructions, manufacturing plans, and quality documentation for hardware builds
• Proficiency with CAD tools (CATIA, SolidWorks, NX, or equivalent) for tooling and fixture design
• Experience managing manufacturing engineering projects including timelines, vendor coordination, and resource allocation
• Hands‑on troubleshooting experience in a production environment
• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in one or more of the following: composite structures, mechanical systems (landing gear, flight controls, doors), fluid systems (hydraulic, fuel, pneumatic), propulsion, avionics integration, or wire harness manufacturing
• Experience transitioning hardware from prototype or first-article builds to rate production
• Experience with aircraft or autonomous vehicle assembly
• Knowledge of AS9100, aerospace quality systems, and non-conformance management processes
• Experience applying Lean, Six Sigma, or structured continuous improvement methodologies
• Experience working with Teamcenter, SAP, Oracle, or similar PLM/ERP platforms
• Active U.S. Secret security clearance

US Salary Range

$129,000—$171,000 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 (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.