Payloads Lead

Mosaic.tech; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 132,000 - 198,000; Full time

Job summary

Anduril Industries in Costa Mesa, CA seeks a Payloads Engineer for the Maneuver Dominance team to lead mechanical design, analysis and integration of payloads into host aircraft. You will work across disciplines, solving hard autonomy problems and advancing autonomous air systems.

The role emphasizes ownership, hands‑on work, and collaboration with program leadership to deliver high‑impact aerospace solutions on multiple drone platforms.

Qualifications

• Nine+ years with a bachelor’s degree, seven+ with a master’s degree, or five+ with a PhD; equivalent experience accepted.
• Experience in software programming or embedded systems (C++, MATLAB, Python, PERL).
• Familiarity with Air‑to‑Air weapons, MIL‑STD‑1553, and interface control documents.
• Experience integrating weapons, payloads, or avionics onto aircraft.
• Experience with weapon or tactical datalinks.
• Ability to travel up to 25% and obtain/maintain a U.S. TS clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead or support integration, verification, and validation of weapon systems on Anduril UAV platforms.
• Develop program plans, estimates, and schedules.
• Design system architectures, perform analysis, and generate requirements.
• Troubleshoot conflicting design/development requirements.
• Create and present technical materials for reviews.
• Support lab, ground, and flight test events.
• Create/interface documents and test procedures; coordinate with customers and engineers.
• Support proposals and provide direction to design and staff.

Skills

Problem solving

Communication

Team collaboration

Willingness to travel

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher in engineering/CS

Tools

C++

MATLAB

Python

PERL scripting

NX/Teamcenter

SolidWorks

CAD

MIL-STD-1553

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

Here you will work on core product development for rotorcraft and complex systems, including but not limited to avionics, batteries, mechanisms, structures, sensors and payloads. The role requires high ownership and frequent collaboration with other core disciplines. The ideal candidate would be practical, hands‑on and a self‑starter.

About the Job

Anduril is seeking a Payloads Engineer to join the Maneuver Dominance team at our Costa Mesa HQ. The Maneuver Dominance (MD) Team at Anduril develops aerial robotic systems designed to operate in large coordinated teams in concert with ground maneuver forces. We leverage existing Anduril drone platforms like Ghost, Altius, or Roadrunner, in addition to bringing 3rd party platforms into Anduril’s Lattice ecosystem. We develop perception and autonomy algorithms to solve some of the hardest problems facing our customers. As a Payload Engineer, you will lead/enable mechanical design, analysis and integration of Anduril payloads into host platforms. This is a unique opportunity to grow your expertise in one of the most challenging and differing engineering domains; large autonomous air vehicles. You will work closely with the program leadership and a wide spectrum of cross-departments as part of a team focused on solving hard problems and changing the industry forever.

What You’ll Do:

• Lead or support efforts performing integration, verification and/or validation of weapon systems on Anduril’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems platforms
• Develop program plans, estimates, and schedules
• Develop system/architecture designs, perform system level analysis, and generate requirements
• Troubleshoot conflicting design/development requirements
• Develop and present technical material for reviews and meetings
• Support lab, ground, and flight test events
• Develop/maintain Interface Control Documents, Software Requirement Specifications, Performance Specifications, presentations and review test plans/procedures
• Coordinate and interface with customers, contractors, and engineering groups assigned to projects
• Support ongoing operation of the weapons systems
• Provide support for proposals/white papers for future efforts or capabilities
• Provide direction to design and to technical staff

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree or PhD in engineering, computer science or a related technical discipline from an accredited institution and progressive engineering experience as follows: nine or more years of experience with a bachelor’s degree, seven or more years of experience with a master’s degree or five or more years with a PhD. May substitute equivalent engineering experience in lieu of education.
• Software programming or embedded systems experience (familiarity with C++, MATLAB, Python, PERL scripting, etc.)
• Familiarity with Air‑to‑Air weapons, MIL‑STD‑1553, and logical Interface Control Documents
• Experience integrating weapons, payloads, or avionics onto aircraft
• Experience with weapon or tactical datalinks
• Must be customer focused with the ability to formulate and implement plans to resolve technical engineering problems
• Ability to travel to support program and test events (up to 25%)
• Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. TS clearance

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in NX/Teamcenter
• Experience in Solidworks
• Experience designing mechanical parts and test equipment (CAD)
• Understanding of manufacturing methods (machining, sheet metal, composites, 3D printing, injection molding, composite lamination, etc)
• Experience developing subsystem layouts, performing architectural trade studies, and evaluating vendor performance data

US Salary Range: $132,000 - $198,000 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.