SEIT Lead, Thunder

Mosaic.tech; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 191,000 - 253,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity grants

Job summary

Anduril Industries in Costa Mesa seeks a Systems Engineering, Integration and Test (SEIT) Lead to advance Thunder—the autonomous rotorcraft program. You will oversee propulsion, avionics, batteries, mechanisms, structures, sensors and payloads, operating with high ownership to fly new designs in months, not years.

Join a lean, fast-moving team that collaborates with customers and authorities, builds end-to-end test environments, and emphasizes safety and rapid learning across bench, lab, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a relevant engineering field (e.g., aerospace, mechanical, electrical).
• 10+ years in systems engineering, integration and test across aircraft programs.
• Experience developing and operating HIL/HITL/IRON BIRD environments for flight vehicles.
• Vehicle/system integration and test experience with uncrewed/ autonomous platforms.

Responsibilities

• Lead Agile Systems Engineering governance for rapid capability development with SDR support.
• Use Test as a design tool; mature components and systems through bench to production.
• Collaborate with customers to evolve CONOPS and derive high-level requirements.
• Develop and sustain hardware-in-the-loop/ground test environments for flight-like testing.
• Ensure safety in integration environments and mitigate hazards by design.
• Coordinate with partners and authorities to obtain operational approvals.
• Plan, execute and review test activities; capture learnings to inform design.

Skills

Systems engineering

Integration testing

HIL/HITL

IRON BIRD

Flight testing

Safety analysis

Security clearance

Education

Aerospace Engineering degree

Systems Engineering degree

Tools

HIL hardware

SIL

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 Maneuver Dominance team is building Thunder - an autonomous attack rotorcraft built to fight alongside crewed combat aviation to deliver overwhelming mass effects deep beyond the front lines. The team in London builds the Mission System and the autonomy that makes aircraft like Thunder work. Autonomy is only as good as the link that carries it. Thunder is a compact airframe with weapons, sensors and radios competing for the same antenna real estate, flying low and in formation, in a spectrum that is actively contested. That is the problem you would own.

ABOUT THE JOB

Anduril is seeking a Systems Engineering, Integration and Test (SEIT) Lead to join the Thunder team at our Costa Mesa HQ. You will work on new aircraft and mission system development, including propulsion systems, avionics, batteries, mechanisms, structures, sensors and payloads, in a lean, high-ownership culture where you directly shape the product and operate at a velocity to fly new designs within months, not years.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Deploy right-sized, Agile Systems Engineering governance approaches for rapid capability development efforts - with the right amount of process discipline and artifacts and support System Design Reviews (SDRs)
• Lead the use of ‘Test’ as a design tool to support component, system and subsystem maturation from discrete bench tests to production representative Vehicle, Mission and Support Systems
• Work with customers and end-users to evolve Concept of Operations (CONOPS) and the Product Life Cycle, developing inputs to high-level requirements informing key design decisions
• Develop and sustain highly representative Hardware In Lab (HIL) and Hardware In The Loop (HITL) physical integration environments – capable of ‘flying’ missions, as well as full-size geometry representative section demonstrators for payload development
• Focus on the safety of integration environments, ensuring that potential harm of team members can be eliminated by design
• Leverage crewed and uncrewed flying assets as surrogates for subsystem development in the representative environment
• Develop, review, and execute right-sized test plans across integration environments, efficiently capturing and reporting learnings, and making recommendations as inputs to design
• Conduct Test Readiness Reviews (TRR), and assess and mitigate hazards to ensure that testing can be safely and efficiently executed
• Support factory acceptance, ground and flight test of prototype and production representative Systems
• Liaise with partner organizations and local authorities to secure operational approvals (airspace, frequency, physical deconfliction, safety, and appropriate test range facilities)
• Conduct safety assessments with a pragmatic understanding of hazards and mitigations - holding the safety of team members above all else

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor degree or higher in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering or aviation related technical discipline
• 10+ years experience in Systems Engineering, integration and test
• Experience in developing and operating HIL/HITL/IRON BIRD integration environments for flight vehicles
• Vehicle/System level integration and test experience, preferably with Group 4/5 uncrewed and autonomous platforms, including ground and flight test
• Experience in all facets of the test process including writing test plans and procedures, conducting risk assessments, mitigating hazards, running test readiness reviews, directing test events, and responding to unplanned occurrences
• Extremely organized and detail-oriented, excellent verbal & written communication skills (effective for broad audiences)
• A sincere commitment to a positive, inclusive, and collaborative culture
• Eligible to obtain and maintain a security clearance in United States

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Proven track record of leading SEIT efforts for a clean-sheet aircraft program from early architecture and bench testing through IRON BIRD commissioning, first flight, and envelope expansion
• Specific experience integrating and testing complex rotorcraft dynamic systems, hybrid/electric powertrains, or high-performance Group 4/5 tactical UAS.
• Hands‑on experience architecting full‑vehicle IRON BIRD or system integration labs (SIL) featuring closed-loop dynamic models, real‑time sensor injection, and automated regression testing
• Demonstrated background planning and executing risk‑reduction flight tests utilizing airborne surrogate platforms (crewed or uncrewed testbeds)
• Experience establishing formal ground/flight test safety protocols, hazard analyses (MIL-STD-882), and supporting military or civil flight clearance releases (e.g., MIL-STD-516C, NAVAIR, or US Army Airworthiness).
• Active U.S. Secret or Top Secret security clearance

US Salary Range: $191,000 — $253,000 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.