Program Director, Dive XL

Anduril Industries; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 220,000 - 292,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Anduril Industries in Costa Mesa, CA, seeks a Program Director to lead a high‑stakes portfolio of autonomous defense programs, coordinating with internal teams and external partners to shape and deliver advanced systems.

You will own cost, schedule, and risk across programs, drive technical execution from design through deployment, and report to senior leadership while fostering cross‑functional collaboration. This role requires willingness to travel and to relocate near Costa Mesa.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field.
• 10+ years in program/director or equivalent roles in autonomous systems, robotics, or software.
• Ability to lead mission-focused teams and manage complex programs.
• Experience with resource, scheduling, and risk management.
• Strong communication with executives and partners.
• Willingness to travel and relocate near Costa Mesa, CA.

Responsibilities

• Lead large, technical programs from design through deployment.
• Ensure crisp communications to senior leadership and teams.
• Partner with engineering leaders to drive execution and velocity.
• Manage customer and partner relationships, dependencies across teams.
• Understand architecture and propose technical alternatives when needed.
• Work with Chief Engineer to ensure portfolio success.

Skills

Program Director

Technical Program Manager

Autonomous systems

Robotics

Leadership

Cross-functional teams

Engineering knowledge

Security clearance TS/SCI

Travel willingness

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering

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 Job

In your role as Program Director within our Dive XL Division, you will lead a high‑stakes, high‑reward portfolio program. You will influence the shaping and development of cutting‑edge technologies that enhance operational capabilities for end‑users, in conjunction with internal teams and key external partners. You will ensure that cost, schedule, and risks across your programs are optimally managed and mitigated. You will both lead and execute. Ultimately, you will be responsible for building and maintaining a cohesive portfolio of programs that work in tandem with each other to reach portfolio‑level goals.

What You’ll Do

• Lead, manage, and execute large, technical programs, from early stage design, to technology development, to system integration, to testing, to deployment.
• Ensure crisp comms and reporting at all levels: you will communicate to the Senior Leadership Team, to your program teams (both PMs and engineers), and to functional teams across Anduril.
• Partner with engineering leaders to drive successful program execution and team velocity.
• Forge and manage both customer relationships and partner relationships.
• Identify, resolve, and elevate key cross‑team dependencies.
• Understand technical implementation at the architectural level and propose technical alternatives when necessary.
• Work hand‑in‑hand with the Chief Engineer and Program Managers to ensure success across the portfolio.
• Exercise meticulous, swift follow‑through on all asks and deliverables.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, or applicable discipline specific to the needs of the Dive Team.
• 10+ years’ experience, including roles such as Program Director, Technical Program Manager, Senior Program Manager, or Technical Product Manager in an autonomous systems, robotics, or software development environment.
• Ability to understand the mission, focus on the mission systems, and how both connect to hardware. The Program Manager, Director should have the skill set to dive into any critical aspect of the mission system or program management team to lead, execute, and deliver.
• Ability to execute in:
  • Resource management (headcount, budget, and more)
  • Planning (ability to forecast and understand detailed schedules, deliver high‑level schedules to leadership, and more)
  • Building efficient and performant technologies that contribute to MD’s core mission and bottom line
• An aptitude and appetite to thrive in organizations with nascent structure, high‑ownership culture, and a “whatever it takes” environment.
• Ability to work closely with and influence external groups such as vendors, partners, and others.
• A strong affinity and talent for working with people, navigating complex ecosystems of people, and leading cross‑functional teams.
• A strong familiarity with autonomous systems, robotics, or related aerospace / defense technologies.
• Solid technical aptitude and an ability to understand technical designs, software development lifecycle, challenges and risks.
• Experience with development of autonomous subsea vehicles.
• High ownership, low ego.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Strong interpersonal skills and executive gravitas.
• Familiarity with import and export controls.
• Must be able to obtain and hold a U.S. TS/SCI security clearance.
• Must be willing to travel over 25%, with some international travel.
• Must be willing to relocate to or based near Costa Mesa, CA.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven experience delivering technology to government organizations or large commercial institutions.
• Significant experience leading high profile and high stakes programs.
• Experience with Defense Acquisition Processes, including System Requirements Reviews, Preliminary / Critical Design Reviews, Production Readiness Reviews, etc.
• Experience in building programs for software and hardware deliverables from the ground‑up.

Salary Range

US Salary Range: $220,000 – $292,000 USD.

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.