Manufacturing Test Engineer, Drones Hardware

Frontdoor Defense; Costa Mesa (CA); Hybrid; USD 103,000 - 171,000; Full time

Job summary

Anduril Industries in Costa Mesa, California, is looking for a Manufacturing Test Engineer for Drones to own and optimize the production test flow, from system checkout to acceptance, on Bolt, Anvil, and Ghost platforms.

You will enhance automation, reduce cycle time, and develop test instructions while collaborating with Design, Quality and Manufacturing teams to ship high‑quality drone systems.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Electronics/Computer/Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years of manufacturing test experience with product sustainment.
• Familiarity with Linux, Ubuntu, LabVIEW, NixOS and PCBA testing.
• Strong root cause analysis and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Own and sustain test activities across production flow from system checkout to acceptance.
• Improve automation, throughput, and test coverage; troubleshoot complex electrical issues.
• Create work instructions and train technicians on equipment use.
• Analyze test data and collaborate with design, quality, and manufacturing teams.

Skills

Root cause analysis

Troubleshooting

Excellent communication

Team collaboration

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's in Electrical/Electronics/Computer/Mechanical Engineering

Tools

LabVIEW

Linux

NixOS

MES

TES

PCBA testing equipment

Job description

Manufacturing Test Engineer, Drones

Own and optimize the drone production test flow from system checkout to acceptance

Location: Costa Mesa, California

Compensation: $129,000 - 171,000 USD / year

About The Role

Manufacturing Test Engineer, Drones

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 Job

As a Manufacturing Test Engineer on the Drones team you will be working directly with our Bolt, Anvil, and Ghost drones. You will be responsible for ensuring that we are testing our systems to stringent standards ensuring that we are consistently shipping the highest quality products to our customers. Additionally you will ensure that we are able to meet the required throughput requirements of production. In this role you'll need to think creatively and come up with solutions to solve difficult testing problems and push to continuously improve our methods of automation, throughput, user interfaces, and data analytics.

What You'll Do

• Maintain ownership of test activities in production and ensuring production test flow. Provide hands-on troubleshooting efforts and resolve complex electrical issues found during testing.
• Maintain test capabilities across the manufacturing value stream - from system level checkouts and acceptance testing to key component level in process validation.
• Improve and sustain existing test systems to improve automation, consistency, total cycle time, and test coverage (DfM).
• Generate test work instructions that can be easily followed by technician team in MES. Train technicians on equipment use as required.
• Develop library of common failure modes with troubleshooting guide/diagrams for fast issue resolution.
• Determine root cause of product failures and recommend appropriate corrective actions (RCCA).
• Work with Design, Quality and Manufacturing Engineering teams to support customer returns and failure analysis.
• Contribute feedback to early-stage test design for test processes supporting early-stage products (NPI).
• Analyze test data, document results, and provide detailed reports to identify defects and areas for improvement.
• Collaborate with design engineers to provide feedback and recommendations for product enhancements based on test outcomes.
• Optimize test strategies for efficiency and effectiveness, reducing test time without compromising quality.
• Maintain and calibrate test equipment to ensure precision and reliability.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives by identifying opportunities to enhance testing processes and methodologies.
• Execute testing as required.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Electronics, Computer, Mechanical Engineering, or related fields
• 5+ years of relevant industry experience with emphasis on manufacturing test and product sustainment.
• Familiarity with Linux, Ubuntu, LabVIEW, and NixOS.
• Experience with contract manufacturers in the testing of PCBA/electronic assemblies. Thorough knowledge of PCBA testing standards and methods.
• Familiarity with electronics test equipment such as power supplies, electronic loads, oscilloscope, function generators, spectrum analyzers, data acquisition and measurement sensors.
• Strong root cause analysis skills of non-conforming hardware.
• Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal and communication skills.
• Familiar with Product Life Cycle (PLM) systems, Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), and Test Execution Systems (TES)
• Experience working on projects that involve the integration of electrical, mechanical, and software/firmware systems.
• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance

Preferred Qualifications

• 7+ years of relevant industry experience.
• Pursuing a Master's of Science in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science or related field.
• Familiarity with Python, LabVIEW and/or MATLAB for data parsing and data visualization.
• Experience with test automation, PCBA design, and mechanical design.
• Experience with computer hardware communication protocols: USB, Ethernet, RS232, RS485, PCIe, HDMI, CAN, etc.
• Experience with ESS-related testing (Thermal, Vibration, etc.)
• Active 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 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.