Senior Automation Engineer

Anduril Industries; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Anduril Industries, a defense technology company, seeks a Senior Automation Engineer for its Manufacturing Automation team in the United States. You will own controls systems end-to-end, design and deploy OT infrastructure, and collaborate across IT, Security, and Manufacturing Engineering to deliver secure, scalable automation for high-volume production.

You will work with PLCs from Allen-Bradley and Siemens, implement robust OT networking (MQTT, OPC UA, TCP/IP), and apply defense-grade

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Information Technology, or related field.
• 6+ years of experience in controls and automation in a production environment.
• Strong in PLC programming on Allen-Bradley and/or Siemens platforms.
• Proficient in OPC UA, MQTT Engine/Distributor/Transmission
• Proficient across the OT stack — MQTT, OPC UA, TCP/IP, industrial Ethernet, VLANs, switching/routing — with fluency in packet-level analysis
• Working knowledge of OT cybersecurity — air-gapped networks, network segmentation, server hardening, secure remote access
• Experience integrating with MES and QMS
• Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export controlled information or facilities

Responsibilities

• Own controls systems end-to-end as technical system owner — architecture, PLC/HMI development, commissioning, proof of rate, and sustainment handoff
• Deploy and maintain OT server infrastructure including, MQTT brokers, and jump hosts with disciplined backup and change-control practices
• Design and maintain OT networking stack for production (MQTT, OPC UA, TCP/IP) and diagnose protocol, timing, and VLAN segmentation issues using packet-level analysis
• Architect, develop, and debug PLC code on Allen-Bradley and/or Siemens platforms, producing structured, documented code suitable for high-volume manufacturing
• Apply defense-grade OT security practices — air-gapped design, IEC 62443/NIST 800-82 segmentation, Purdue-model layering, server hardening, and secure remote access
• Partner with IT, Security, FactoryOS, and Manufacturing Engineering on cross-functional initiatives and represent controls team in design reviews and cybersecurity buy-offs

Skills

Analytical thinking

Team collaboration

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/EE/Robotics

Tools

Allen-Bradley PLC

Siemens PLC

MQTT

OPC UA

Industrial Ethernet

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

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

Anduril’s Manufacturing Automation team is seeking a Senior Automation Engineer to join our team. The Manufacturing Automation team is responsible for the design, integration, and deployment of automated manufacturing systems across Anduril factories. As a member of this team, you will have the opportunity to help define what production automation looks like for Anduril at a national scale.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Own controls systems end-to-end as technical system owner — architecture, PLC/HMI development, commissioning, proof of rate, and sustainment handoff
• Deploy and maintain OT server infrastructure including, MQTT brokers, and jump hosts with disciplined backup and change-control practices
• Design and maintain OT networking stack for production (MQTT, OPC UA, TCP/IP) and diagnose protocol, timing, and VLAN segmentation issues using packet-level analysis
• Architect, develop, and debug PLC code on Allen-Bradley and/or Siemens platforms, producing structured, documented code suitable for high-volume manufacturing
• Apply defense-grade OT security practices — air-gapped design, IEC 62443/NIST 800-82 segmentation, Purdue-model layering, server hardening, and secure remote access
• Partner with IT, Security, FactoryOS, and Manufacturing Engineering on cross-functional initiatives and represent controls team in design reviews and cybersecurity buy-offs

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Information Technology, or related field
• 6+ years of experience in controls and automation in a production environment
• Strong in PLC programming on Allen-Bradley and/or Siemens platforms
• Proficient in OPC UA, MQTT Engine/Distributor/Transmission)
• Proficient across the OT stack — MQTT, OPC UA, TCP/IP, industrial Ethernet, VLANs, switching/routing — with fluency in packet-level analysis
• Working knowledge of OT cybersecurity — air-gapped networks, network segmentation, server hardening, secure remote access
• Experience integrating with MES and QMS
• Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export controlled information or facilities

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in regulated or defense manufacturing environments (ITAR/EAR-controlled, CMMC, or FDA/aerospace quality systems)
• Experience integrating controls systems with MES and QMS platforms
• Experience with servo drives, VFDs, PID tuning, and functional-safety implementations
• Experience deploying Ignition in redundant/high-availability gateway topologies
• Familiar with control panel layout, electrical component selection, and cable routing