Senior Development Fabrication Technician Hardware

Front Door Defense; Costa Mesa, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 51,000 - 68,000; Full time

Job summary

Anduril Industries in Costa Mesa, CA is seeking a Senior Development Fabrication Technician to take prototype hardware from drawing to finished assembly. You will plan builds, select fabrication methods, lay out components, weld, machine, and design fixtures while collaborating with engineers to resolve issues.

You will fabricate steel, stainless steel, and aluminum assemblies, ensuring tight tolerances and high build quality across diverse prototypes for new vehicles or systems.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of hands-on fabrication or related metalworking experience.
• Advanced experience with MIG, FCAW, and TIG welding processes.
• Experience fabricating steel, stainless steel, and aluminum assemblies.
• Strong sheet-metal fabrication skills with shop tooling.
• Ability to read and interpret complex engineering drawings including GD&T.
• Ability to plan fabrication from raw material to finished assembly.
• Proficiency with conventional shop equipment and holding tight tolerances.
• Strong problem-solving and communications with engineers.

Responsibilities

• Own prototype builds from start to finish translating drawings to hardware.
• Determine build sequence, tooling, fixturing, and material prep per job.
• Fabricate assemblies using layout, welding, cutting, drilling, grinding, machining.
• Build Weldments across steel, stainless, aluminum using GMAW, FCAW, GTAW.
• Design and build weld fixtures and tooling for alignment and tolerances.
• Identify fit-up, distortion, and manufacturability issues early.
• Work with design engineers to resolve unclear drawings and evolving designs.
• Suggest practical changes to improve buildability and speed.
• Perform dimensional and visual inspection; decide rework or rebuild.
• Execute R&D fabrication with limited oversight and planning.
• Adapt to changing designs, priorities, or program requirements.
• Mentor teammates and improve shop fabrication practices.
• Maintain safe, organized work environment per safety requirements.

Skills

GMAW/MIG welding

FCAW welding

GTAW/TIG welding

Welding processes

Sheet metal fabrication

Reading engineering drawings

GD&T interpretation

Fabrication planning

Precision machining

Weld fixture design

Team collaboration

Tools

NX

SolidWorks

Job description

Senior Development Fabrication Technician

Lead prototype builds from drawings to finished hardware for new vehicle or system

Location: Costa Mesa, California

Compensation: $37 - 49 USD / hour

About The Role

Senior Development Fabrication Technician

Costa Mesa, California, United States

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

As a Senior Development Fabrication Technician, you will take prototype hardware from drawing to finished assembly.

You'll plan the build, select the right fabrication approach, lay out and fit components, weld and machine hardware, design fixtures, inspect your work, and solve problems as they emerge.

You will work directly with engineers when drawings are incomplete, tolerances create problems, or a design simply isn't practical to manufacture. You'll be expected to speak up, recommend a better path, and help the team get to the right hardware faster.

Some days you may fabricate a small precision assembly. Others may involve a large structural weldment or prototype supporting an entirely new vehicle or system.

This role is built for an experienced fabricator who wants complex problems, autonomy, variety, and ownership — not repetitive production work.

What You'll Do

• Own prototype builds from start to finish, translating engineering drawings, CAD, and work orders into finished hardware ready for integration or testing.
• Determine the best build sequence, fabrication approach, tooling, fixturing, and material preparation strategy for each job.
• Fabricate small through large-scale assemblies using layout, fitting, welding, cutting, drilling, grinding, forming, sawing, and conventional machining.
• Build complex weldments across steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and other alloys using GMAW, FCAW, and GTAW processes.
• Design and build weld fixtures and tooling that maintain alignment and tight tolerances during fabrication.
• Identify fit-up, tolerance, accessibility, distortion, sequencing, and manufacturability problems before they become integration problems.
• Work directly with design engineers to resolve unclear drawings, incomplete designs, and manufacturability challenges.
• Challenge designs when necessary and recommend practical changes that improve buildability, quality, and speed.
• Perform dimensional and visual inspection of completed hardware and make sound decisions around rework, repair, or rebuild.
• Independently execute R&D fabrication work with limited oversight, including evaluating the job, planning the work, identifying material needs, and completing the build.
• Adapt quickly when designs, priorities, or program requirements change during a build.
• Help raise the technical bar of the shop by sharing fabrication knowledge, mentoring teammates, and contributing to better fabrication practices.
• Maintain a safe, organized work environment and consistently follow Anduril and OSHA safety requirements.

Required Qualifications

• 6+ years of hands-on fabrication, welding, or related metalworking experience, ideally in prototype, R&D, aerospace, motorsports, custom fabrication, or low-volume manufacturing environments.
• Advanced experience with GMAW/MIG, FCAW, and GTAW/TIG welding processes.
• Demonstrated experience fabricating steel, stainless steel, and aluminum assemblies.
• Strong sheet-metal fabrication skills, including cutting, forming, fitting, and working with equipment such as brakes, rollers, saws, and related shop tooling.
• Ability to independently read and interpret complex engineering drawings, including GD&T, weld symbols, dimensions, and tolerances.
• Experience planning and executing fabrication work from raw material through completed assembly.
• Working proficiency with conventional shop equipment, including manual mills and lathes, with the ability to hold approximately ±0.005-inch tolerances when required.
• Strong practical understanding of fit-up, weld sequencing, distortion control, fixturing, and fabrication tolerances.
• Ability to recognize when a design or fabrication approach will not work and determine an effective alternative.
• Comfortable making sound technical decisions when drawings, requirements, or designs are still evolving.
• Strong shop math, mechanical reasoning, and hands-on problem-solving ability.
• Ability to communicate directly and constructively with engineers and other technical partners.
• A collaborative mindset and willingness to share knowledge and mentor other fabricators.
• Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in aerospace, defense, automotive, motorsports, experimental vehicles, or other high-performance prototype environments.
• Experience designing and fabricating complex weld fixtures.
• Demonstrated ability to hold tight tolerances on large fabricated assemblies and weldments.
• Familiarity with CAD tools such as NX or SolidWorks.
• Experience working directly with design engineers during prototype development.
• Working knowledge of aerospace or defense welding standards such as AWS D17.1, AWS D1.1, or NAVSEA requirements.
• Experience mentoring junior fabricators or helping establish shop fabrication standards.

US Hourly Range $37.02 - $49.04 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: