Mechanical Design Engineer, Hardware Platform, 2+ years of experience

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

Job summary

Anduril Industries, based in the United States, is seeking mechanical design engineers to design, test, and scale critical hardware across autonomous platforms. The role spans core technology, warhead design, and DFA interfaces, with cross‑functional collaboration to accelerate hardware development.

Candidates should have hands‑on prototyping experience, a solid CAD background, and the ability to obtain/maintain a U.S. security clearance. Travel up to 25% may be required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical/aerospace/manufacturing or related field or equivalent experience.
• 2+ years of mechanical design experience from concept to fabrication and testing.
• Proficiency in 3D CAD and GD&T practices (ASME Y14.5).
• Hands-on prototyping and root-cause analysis of hardware defects.
• Eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Security Clearance.

Responsibilities

• Own components and assemblies from requirements through prototyping, testing, and volume production.
• Create high-fidelity 3D models and 2D drawings per ASME Y14.5 GD&T.
• Design across manufacturing processes: CNC, weldments, sheet metal, molding, composites.
• Apply FEA/hand calculations to verify structural, thermal, and dynamic performance.
• Perform tolerancing analysis and DFMA early to de-risk production.
• Prototype, test plans, and execute environmental/dynamic bench tests.
• Collaborate with Electrical, Manufacturing, Quality, Safety, and Test teams.

Skills

Prototyping

Cross-functional collaboration

Statics & dynamics basics

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Aerospace/Manufacturing Engineering or related

Tools

NX

SolidWorks

Creo

Teamcenter

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 Hardware Platform Organization is Anduril's central hardware engineering org. We build the shared technologies, tools, and infrastructure that power hardware development across every Anduril division, from actuators and propulsion to batteries, avionics, rocket motors, and test operations. Our teams set engineering standards, run development manufacturing and test sites, and develop core technology products that ship across multiple product lines.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Anduril is seeking exceptional, hands‑on Mechanical Design Engineers to design, test, and scale mission‑critical hardware across our autonomous air, sea, ground, and strike platforms.

We are hiring across three core work‑streams. Depending on your background, technical depth, and career focus, you will align with one of the following hardware teams:

• Core Technology Products: Architect foundational hardware platforms spanning aircraft, missiles, maritime vessels, and ground systems. You will lead blank‑sheet mechanical packaging, tight electro‑mechanical integration (thermal, RF, PCBAs), and rapid hardware iteration.
• Lethality (Warhead Design): Design and mature advanced warheads, ordnance, and munitions systems. You will bridge mechanical engineering, dynamic modeling, energetic material packaging, safety constraints, and live‑fire test operations.
• Design for Excellence (DFM / DFA): Sit at the critical interface between initial CAD concepts and production reality. You will drive high‑rate manufacturability, assembly optimization, drawing standards, and tooling strategies to ensure hardware can scale at the speed of mission need.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• End‑to‑End Hardware Ownership: Own components and complex mechanical assemblies from requirements definition, hand calculations, and conceptual design through prototyping, testing, and volume manufacturing.
• Rigorous Mechanical Design: Create high‑fidelity 3D models and fully defined 2D drawing packages in strict accordance with ASME Y14.5 (GD&T) standards.
• Multi‑Discipline Engineering: Design parts across diverse fabrication processes—including precision 3/5‑axis CNC machining, complex weldments, sheet metal, injection molding, composite layups, and structural adhesive bonding.
• Analysis & Simulation: Apply first‑principles engineering and FEA/hand calculations to validate structural, thermal, vibrational, and tolerance‑stackup performance under harsh operational conditions.
• Design for Manufacturing & Assembly (DFM/DFA): Perform 1D/3D tolerance stacks, DFMEAs, and tool‑access assessments early in development to de‑risk production bottlenecks and scale throughput.
• Prototyping & Test Execution: Build physical prototypes, author detailed test plans, and run functional testing (environmental, dynamic, bench‑top, or live arena/range tests depending on track).
• Cross‑Functional Execution: Collaborate shoulder‑to‑shoulder with Electrical, Manufacturing, Quality, Safety, and Test teams, as well as external suppliers, to solve urgent hardware bottlenecks.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent combination of education and work experience.
• 2+ years of professional mechanical design experience taking physical hardware from initial concept through fabrication and functional test.
• Proficiency in parametric 3D CAD (NX, SolidWorks, or Creo) and modern PLM/PDM environments (e.g., Teamcenter).
• Working knowledge of engineering drawings and practical application of ASME Y14.5 GD&T and tolerance stack‑up analysis.
• Hands‑on prototyping and fabrication experience, including root‑cause analysis of manufacturing and hardware defects.
• Coursework or professional experience applying statics, dynamics, material selection, heat transfer, and structural mechanics to hardware design problems.
• Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Security Clearance.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master's degree or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
• Prior experience in defense, aerospace, or other highly regulated hardware development environments.
• Proficiency with FEA tools (Abaqus, ANSYS, or equivalent) for structural, thermal, or dynamic analysis.
• Lethality Track: Experience with ordnance, warheads, energetic materials, DoD weapons safety boards, high‑rate dynamic modeling, or munitions field testing.
• Core Tech Track: Experience designing tightly integrated electromechanical systems (dense PCBA packaging, active/passive thermal management, RF/EMI shielding, harness routing).
• DFM/DFA Track: Deep expertise in tooling design, high‑volume injection molding, robotic/manual weldment design, structural bonding, or building visual standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Active U.S. Security Clearance (DoD Secret, Top Secret, or DOE Q).

Some roles may require travel for field or range testing (up to 25%, primarily within Lethality work‑streams)

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:

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.

Data Privacy

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

By submitting your application, you consent to Anduril Industries using a third‑party service provider to conduct pre‑employment risk, integrity, and due diligence screening and assessing potential risks as part of your application process. This third‑party service provider provides risk‑intelligence services that may include analysis of sanctions and watchlists, adverse media, public‑record information, and other lawful open‑source or commercial data sources. This third‑party service provider does not act as a consumer reporting agency. Use of this provider helps to ensure compliance with applicable laws and protect technology, intellectual property, and organizational security.