Senior Electrical Engineer, Thunder Payload Integration

Anduril Industries; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 147,000 - 194,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity grants

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

Anduril Industries in Costa Mesa, CA is seeking a Senior Electrical Engineer to join the Thunder team. You will own the payload power, data, and control electrical architecture—from the aircraft bus through deployment mechanisms to mission payloads on an autonomous platform.

Responsibilities include wiring, firing circuits and safety interlocks, the SMS/VMS electrical interface, harness routing, GSE, and EMC analysis to mitigate HERO/HERP/HERF risks. Eligible for U.S. Secret clearance.

Qualifications

• 3–6 years in aerospace or defense electrical engineering with payload experience.
• Firing circuit design — arming/safing logic and safety analysis.
• Payload bus architecture from aircraft bus to payload.
• Aerospace harness design for dynamic environments.
• GSE design for payload integration support.
• EMC analysis for safety-critical circuits (HERO/HERP/HERF).
• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret clearance.

Responsibilities

• Own the payload electrical architecture — design power, data, and control wiring from aircraft bus to payload interfaces.
• Design firing circuits and payload control electronics — arming/safing logic and safety interfaces.
• Define the mission/vehicle management system electrical interface for payload control.
• Design harness routing through deployment mechanisms and ensure continuity.
• Develop ground support equipment for integration and range operations.
• Perform EMC analysis for firing-circuit signals in a hybrid-electric airframe.
• Support lab verification and on-aircraft integration and range testing.

Skills

Aerospace electrical engineering

Firing circuit design

Payload bus architecture

Harness design

GSE design

EMC analysis

Security clearance eligible

Tools

MIL-STD-1760

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.

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 Senior Electrical Engineer to join the Thunder team at our Costa Mesa HQ. We need an Senior Electrical Engineer to own the payload power, data, and control electrical architecture — from the aircraft bus through the deployment mechanisms to the mission payloads — on this novel autonomous platform.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Own the payload electrical architecture — design power delivery, data, and control wiring from the aircraft bus to payload interfaces through deployment mechanisms
• Design firing circuits and payload control electronics — arming/safing logic, continuity test interfaces, and ground-to-aircraft handoff protocols for mission-critical payloads
• Define and implement the mission/vehicle management system (SMS/VMS) electrical interface for payload control — command, status, and safety interlock signals
• Design harness routing through articulated deployment mechanisms — connector mate/de-mate logic and continuity assurance across all mechanism positions
• Design ground support equipment (GSE) — bench simulators, continuity test sets, and arming/safing control stations to support integration and range operations
• Perform EMC analysis for firing-circuit-class signals in a hybrid-electric airframe environment — identify HERO/HERP/HERF risks and define mitigation
• Support lab verification of the payload electrical chain — bench test through simulated bus to payload connector before aircraft integration
• Support on-aircraft integration and ground firing verification at range-cleared facilities

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 3–6 years in aerospace or defense electrical engineering with payload or weapons electrical systems experience
• Firing circuit design — EED circuits, arming/safing logic, and safety analysis
• Payload bus architecture — power, data, and control from aircraft bus to payload
• Aerospace harness design, including wiring through dynamic or articulated environments
• GSE design for payload integration support
• EMC analysis for safety-critical circuits (HERO/HERP/HERF awareness)
• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• MIL-STD-1760 implementation experience
• HERO/HERP/HERF electromagnetic hazard analysis
• Payload electrical integration on rotorcraft or VTOL platforms
• Hybrid-electric or high-voltage airframe EMC context
• Range operations support experience

US Salary Range

$147,000—$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.