Product Quality Engineer, Small Drones

Slope; Santa Ana (CA); On-site; USD 146,000 - 194,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits package

Job summary

Anduril Industries seeks a Senior Product Quality Engineer to define, develop, and execute high-quality processes for drones and accessories. You will collaborate across Systems, Electrical, Mechanical, Software, and Test teams to ensure reliability from design through production.

The ideal candidate has 8+ years in drone/defense hardware, experience with FMEA, APQP, PPAP, RCCA, and the ability to obtain a U.S. security clearance. Join a team delivering world-class quality and advanced autonomy.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or similar STEM field.
• 8+ years in Engineering, Manufacturing, or Quality for Drone systems or defense hardware.
• Hands-on experience in mechanical/electrical design and systems integration.
• Experience driving product quality from design to manufacturing.
• Knowledge of FMEA, APQP, PPAP elements including MSA and GD&T.
• DOE and SPC knowledge and application.
• Ability to obtain and hold a U.S. security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Define, develop, and execute processes that deliver high quality, reliable products.
• Collaborate with Systems, Electrical, Mechanical, Software, and Test teams.
• Drive RCCA, MRB, inspection, and quality planning for the product lifecycle.
• Lead transition from NPI to sustainable, high-rate manufacturing and supply chain.
• Own maintenance and repair decisions for customer-owned hardware and field support.
• Analyze product health data and establish metrics for quality performance.
• Support Government inspections and compliance activities with cross-functional teams.
• Oversee production readiness for Bolt and related products, including tests and verification.

Skills

Quality Engineering

Data Analysis

NPI to Production

Failure Analysis

Cross-functional Leadership

Reliability Engineering

Security Clearance

DOE/SPC

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering

Master’s degree in a technical field

Tools

Jira

Tableau

SolidWorks

Teamcenter

Altium

NX

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

As a Senior Product Quality Engineer, you will work inside & outside the organization to define, develop, and execute processes that deliver high quality & reliable products. This role focuses on our Bolt and auxiliary accessory products with career growth to any of our products in the development stages. An ideal candidate for this role has knowledge of manufacturing, product development, test/system performance criteria, metrology, and continuous improvement for drones and/or aerial vehicles. If you are someone who loves to build world-class quality processes, work hands-on, and be accountable for results, then this role is for you.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Execute, and ensure deliverables for Product Development Process within New Product Introduction phases collaborating and coordinating with Systems, Electrical, Mechanical, Software, and Test engineering team counterpart
• Drive product development/improvement and production for quad-copter drones by supporting drawings & work instruction reviews, process development, inspection, acceptance test performance management, end-of-line metrics, verification, validation, and qualification of processes and parts, sub-assemblies, along with the vehicle, itself.
• Drive clarity & resolution for quality ambiguities associated with product maturity, process stability, and field performance that impact the product achieving it’s quality & reliability goals for volume production. Design, develop, and lead the quality plan for the product.
• Provide product ownership surrounding Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) in determining appropriate disposition to rework or repair customer-owned hardware, and perform troubleshooting and/or root cause analysis by partnering with Reliability Engineering and other cross-functional teams.
• Champion the transition from new product introduction (NPI) to a sustainable & predictable, high rate manufacturing process and supply chain.
• Own the defining and elimination of product risk to improve reliability & quality across the product lifecycle. Engage in quality issue management from concept stages through development & manufacturing to field use.
• Ensure the execution of product and process requirements. Define and improve such requirements.
• Work cross-functionally to define and execute the product roadmap for changes and customer acceptance testing.
• Lead Root Cause and Corrective Action (RCCA), Material Review Board (MRB) activities, and inspection process performance. Review the effectiveness of actions and share lessons learned across the product team.
• Lead product health data analysis and improvement activities. Establish metrics for measuring quality and the factors that predict quality performance.
• Support the continuous improvement of the Quality Management System for the product. Define and improve required quality documentation and processes.
• Support investigations, initiatives, and projects as needed, at the team or organization level.
• Drive product development and production for Bolt using like drawing and work instruction reviews, process development, inspection, acceptance test performance management, end-of-line metrics, verification, validation, and qualification of processes and parts, sub-assemblies, and the vehicle, itself.
• Drive clarity & resolution for production ambiguities associated with product maturity, process stability, and field performance that impact the product achieving it’s quality & reliability goals for volume production.
• Provide product ownership and execution surrounding Government Source Inspections (GSI), Government Mandatory Inspection Points (GMIP), and DCMA Process Evaluations (PE) from coordination with internal production partners, schedule & arrangement with DCMA QAS POC, all the way to handoff to Logistics and Deployment operations teams for delivery and DD250.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or similar STEM fields.
• 8+ years of experience in Engineering, Manufacturing, or Quality in Drone systems, Camera/sensors, aeronautics/defense systems or similar hardware.
• Hands-on experience in system architecture, mechanical or electrical design, design review of precision mechanical, PCBA, harnessing, avionics, systems integration, composites, propulsion systems, and/or lethality systems.
• Experience driving product quality and performance requirements to test and measurement system development and optimization.
• Experience leading the transition from engineering/design qualification to manufacturing/production and verification and validation for product quality coverage.
• Working knowledge of product development methodologies such as Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP), Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) elements such as Measurement Systems Analysis (MSA) and Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T).
• Working knowledge of mechanical and/or electrical manufacturing processes.
• Working knowledge of Design of Experiments (DOE) and Statistical Process Control (SPC) methodologies.
• A strong ownership mindset with demonstrated capability to drive projects from start to completion.
• Analytical skills and experiences for data mining, data quality, metrics generation, issue management systems, and statistical analysis tools (MatLab, JMP, MiniTab, etc)
• Must be able to obtain and hold a U.S. S/TS security clearance

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in a technical field
• 10+ years of experience in Engineering, Manufacturing, or Quality in Drone systems, Camera/sensors, aeronautics/defense systems or similar hardware.
• 5-7 years of experience with developing quality systems for low volume, high complex manufacturing environments and suppliers.
• Experience working with DCMA and/or Department of War on U.S. Military Contract(s).
• Working knowledge of AS9100/ ISO 9001-based Quality Management System requirements.
• Experience with IPC standards and/or J-STD
• Experience with government contracts and MIL standard requirements commonly applied to quality requirements for aerial vehicles.
• Experience with Teamcenter, SolidWorks, NX, Jira, Tableau, and Altium (or other PCBA and harness design software)

US Salary Range $146,000—$194,000 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.