Operations Lead

Anduril Industries; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 117,000 - 154,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity grants

Health benefits

Retirement plan

Job summary

Anduril Industries is seeking an Operations Leader for the Hardware Test & Operations organization. You will own the operational backbone, building cadence, dashboards, and budgets to drive execution across pillar leads, program teams, and leadership.

You will translate strategy into action, manage resources, and ensure tests, schedules, and financials stay aligned with the PDP process and business goals. This role requires a practical, data-driven operator mindset.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Aviation Management, or related discipline.
• 7+ years in business operations, program management, or operational leadership within a technical or defense environment.
• Demonstrated strength in financial forecasting, resource planning, and budget tracking.
• Proven ability to build and sustain operational rhythms: reviews, scorecards, dashboards and reporting.
• Experience in aviation, aerospace, or unmanned systems operations.
• Strong analytical skills with hands-on data tools experience (Excel modeling, BI dashboards).
• Track record of building or improving a service organization with SLAs and accountability.
• Exceptional organizational and communication skills for senior leadership briefs.

Responsibilities

• Own HTO Support Operations & Organizational Rhythm – staff meetings, pillar reviews, scorecard cycles, cross-functional coordination.
• Drive Business Metrics & Performance Reporting – define and report headcount, capacity, IRAD burn, and program fund utilization with dashboards.
• Lead Financial Performance Execution & Resource Planning – 6/12/24-month outlooks, resource allocation, bottoms-up resourcing models.
• Advance Service Organization Maturity – define service interfaces, response times, throughput, quality standards.
• Support Aviation & Flight Operations Coordination – integrate aviation test ops into cadence, schedule and readiness tracking.
• Manage Cross-functional Handoffs & Execution – track progress, report on Deputy/VP initiatives, establish owner accountability.
• Enable the PDP Milestone Process – support PDP gates, track T&E deliverables across core framework.
• Build Structure & Eliminate Drag – fix processes, templates, approvals to reduce burden on pillar leads.

Skills

Operational leadership

Cross-functional teams

Financial forecasting

Data dashboards

Resource planning

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Excel

BI dashboards

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.

Anduril is building next‑generation autonomous platforms, robotic systems, and advanced warfighting capabilities. Our Hardware Test & Operations (HTO) organization ensures every system we deliver is safe, reliable, and combat‑ready — from first article through fielding.

We are seeking an Operations Leader to serve as a tactical business execution manager within HTO, reporting directly to the Deputy. This role is the operational backbone of a rapidly scaling robotic systems test enterprise — owning business and resource support, financial performance, performance metrics, and day‑to‑day organizational execution. You will translate strategy into action, keep the machine running, and build the connective tissue between pillar leads, program teams, and leadership.

This is a role for a practical operator with a can‑do mentality and something to prove — someone who thrives on making an organization sharper, faster, and more accountable. If you have a bias for action, a head for numbers, and the grit to build structure where none exists, this is your opportunity.

What You’ll Do

• Own HTO Support Operations & Organizational Rhythm – Build and run the operating cadence for HTO: staff meetings, pillar‑level reviews, scorecard cycles, and cross‑functional coordination. Ensure the Deputy and VP have clean, timely information to make decisions. You are the person who makes the trains run on time.

• Drive Business Metrics & Performance Reporting – Define, instrument, and report metrics that matter headcount vs. capacity, throughput vs. demand, IRAD burn rates, program fund utilization, all while pushing engineering integration keeping Hardware Test a competitive advantage for Anduril. Turn raw data into executive‑ready dashboards and action items.

• Lead Financial Performance Execution & Resource Planning – Own the 6/12/24-month execution outlook across the organization. Track resource allocation and utilization. Execute around a vision to automate repetitive actions impacting execution. Build bottoms‑up resourcing models that tie capability to demand signals, not wish lists. Identify gaps early and propose solutions.

• Advance Service Organization Maturity – Treat HTO as a service organization. Define what “service” means at each interface — response time, throughput commitment, quality standard — and measure against it. Build the processes that transform a collection of test teams into an integrated, customer‑oriented enterprise.

• Support Aviation & Flight Operations Coordination – Partner with the Director of Flight Operations and functional leads to integrate aviation test operations into the broader business cadence. Ensure flight‑test scheduling, airworthiness coordination, and range readiness are tracked, improved, and adequately priced with the same rigor as every other operational thread.

• Manage Cross‑functional Handoffs & Execution – Track progress of functional support, and report on performance of critical Deputy and VP Initiatives. Serve as a trusted liaison in the HTO Organization both internally and externally. Strive toward maturing establishing written agreements with named owners and status reporting.

• Enable the PDP Milestone Process – Support pillar leads in delivering against the Product Development Process (PDP) gates — SRR through ORR. Track T&E deliverables across the Core Five framework (Test Strategy, Risk Management, Resource/Infra/Data, Test Execution & Reporting, Assurance & Compliance). Ensure nothing slips through the cracks.

• Build Structure & Eliminate Drag – Identify what’s broken, duplicated, or missing in how HTO operates. Propose and execute fixes — whether that’s a new reporting template, a streamlined approval process, or killing a meeting that doesn’t earn its time. Your job is to make pillar leads more effective, not more burdened.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Aviation Management, or a related discipline. Equivalent relevant experience may substitute.

• 7+ years of experience in business operations, program management, or operational leadership within a technical or defense environment, with at least 3+ years managing cross‑functional processes across multiple teams or sites.

• Demonstrated strength in financial forecasting, resource planning, and budget tracking — you are fluent in the language of burn rates, run rates, and demand signals.

• Proven ability to build and sustain operational rhythms: review cadences, scorecards, dashboards, and reporting frameworks from scratch.

• Experience in aviation, aerospace, or unmanned systems operations — you understand the unique tempo, safety culture, and regulatory landscape of flight‑test environments.

• Strong analytical skills with hands‑on proficiency in data tools (Excel modeling, BI dashboards, or equivalent). You don’t wait for someone else to pull the numbers.

• Track record of building or significantly improving a service organization — establishing SLAs, measuring throughput, and holding teams accountable to commitments.

• Exceptional organizational and communication skills — capable of distilling complexity into clear, concise briefings for senior leadership.

• Bias for action and a practical, results‑oriented mindset. You would rather be specific and wrong than vague and safe.

• Ability to travel up to 25% for domestic test site coordination and cross‑pillar engagement.

• Active U.S. Secret security clearance (or ability to obtain and maintain).

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA or Master’s degree in Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, or related field.

• Prior experience in a Deputy/Chief of Staff/Operations Manager role supporting a VP or senior director in a high‑growth defense or aerospace organization.

• Familiarity with DoD Product Development Process (PDP) milestones, T&E gate reviews, and defense acquisition lifecycle.

• Experience with robotic systems, autonomous platforms, or unmanned aerial systems — either in test, operations, or program management.

• Knowledge of IRAD/program‑funded cost structures and defense contract financial management.

• Experience standing up operational infrastructure in a fast‑moving, ambiguity‑rich environment where process didn’t exist before you arrived.

• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Top Secret security clearance.

US Salary Range

$117,000—$154,000 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.