Senior Automation Engineer, Manufacturing Automation

Anduril; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 146,000 - 194,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity grants

Competitive benefits package

Health benefits

Job summary

Anduril Industries seeks a Senior Automation Engineer for its Manufacturing Automation team to design, integrate, and deploy automated production systems across Anduril factories in the United States. You will own controls architecture, develop PLC/HMI code on major platforms, and ensure secure, scalable OT operations.

Ideal candidates bring 6+ years in production automation, strong PLC programming skills, and experience with OT cybersecurity and MES/QMS integrations.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of controls and automation in a production environment.
• Strong PLC programming on Allen‑Bradley and/or Siemens.
• Experience with OPC UA, MQTT Engine/Distributor/Transmission.
• Proficient across OT stack — MQTT, OPC UA, TCP/IP with packet‑level analysis.
• US Person due to access to export-controlled information.

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 for high-volume manufacturing.
• Apply defense‑grade OT security practices — air‑gapped design, IEC 62443/NIST 800-82 segmentation, Purdue‑model layering, server hardening, secure remote access.
• Partner with IT, Security, FactoryOS, and Manufacturing Engineering on cross‑functional initiatives and cybersecurity buy‑offs.
• Rj45 wiring, configure switches, automating system backups, IT and OT.
• FWs configs, AWS EC2s.

Skills

Controls engineering

PLC programming

OT cybersecurity

System integration

Packet-level analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree (CS/EE/robotics)

Tools

MQTT

OPC UA

Siemens/Allen-Bradley PLCs

MES integration

QMS integration

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’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
• Rj45 wiring, configure switches, automating system backups, IT and OT
• FWs configs, AWS EC2s.

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

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.