Senior Explosives System Safety Engineer

Anduril; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 166,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Anduril Industries is seeking a Senior Explosives System Safety Engineer in Costa Mesa, CA to own munitions, warhead, and fuzing certification end-to-end. You will shepherd programs through WSERB, FISTRP, and SSSTRP while growing a 3–10 person safety engineering team.

You will shape safety frameworks, collaborate with engineering and ops, and drive certification milestones to shorten timelines while maintaining rigor and compliance.

Qualifications

• BS or higher in mechanical, systems, aerospace, or other engineering discipline.
• 8+ years of design, safety, certification, and systems engineering of ordnance systems.
• 2+ years leading, managing, or technically directing a team of engineers.
• Warhead/fuze review board experience (WSERB, FISTRP, AFSRB, or equivalent).
• Munitions system certification or qualification experience.
• Deep working knowledge of MIL-STD-882E, MIL-STD-1316, MIL-STD-1901.
• Experience in program management, customer/vendor management, scheduling and budgeting.
• Ability to travel for testing and customer meetings (up to 25%).
• Experience preparing formal safety documentation (specs, test procedures, reports).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for safety boards and stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead munitions, warhead, and fuzing certification programs through DoD safety review boards.
• Build and lead a team of 3–10 system safety engineers; hire, mentor, set direction, develop staff.
• Create, review, manage, and present safety documentation to stakeholders and boards.
• Embed safety practices into product development lifecycle with cross-functional teams.
• Plan and drive testing, analysis, and milestones to minimize certification timelines.
• Own root cause analysis and corrective actions in safety review processes.
• Manage deliverables including requirements, change control, traceability, and reliability matrices.
• Create scalable frameworks and establish DoD review precedents for future programs.
• Flow down safety guidance and manage key vendors as needed.

Skills

Team leadership

Strong written/verbal communication

MIL-STD knowledge

Safety culture

Travel readiness

Security clearance (Top Secret)

Education

BS or higher in mechanical/systems/aerospace or related engineering

Job description

Senior Explosives System Safety Engineer

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 Explosive Engineering & Operations Team designs, tests, and fields complex munitions systems across multiple Anduril platforms — taking them from early prototype through full-rate production. This is hands-on, high-stakes ordnance work at the cutting edge of what's possible in defense technology.

About the Role

We're looking for a senior system safety engineer to own Anduril's munitions, warhead, and fuzing certification efforts end to end. You'll be the person who shepherds our programs through WSERB, FISTRP, and SSSTRP — building lasting relationships with the review entities and making sure we get through the process as fast and as thoroughly as possible.

This isn't just an individual contributor role. Dave Veitch, the hiring manager, is looking for someone who can lead and grow a team of 3–10 safety engineers while staying deep in the technical work. You'll set the standard for how Anduril approaches weapons safety certification — creating frameworks that scale across future programs.

What You'll Do

• Lead Anduril's munitions, warhead, and fuzing certification programs through DoD weapons safety review boards (WSERB, FISTRP, SSSTRP), building strong relationships with the review entities
• Build and lead a team of 3–10 system safety engineers — hiring, mentoring, setting technical direction, and driving professional development
• Create, review, manage, and present safety documentation packages to internal stakeholders, customers, and fuze/safety boards
• Partner with engineering, program management, and operations teams to embed safety practices into the product development lifecycle from day one
• Plan and drive testing, analysis, and review milestones — taking a proactive approach to minimize certification timelines
• Own root cause analysis and corrective actions relevant to the safety review process
• Manage project deliverables including requirements documentation, change control, traceability, and reliability matrices
• Create scalable frameworks and establish precedent for government reviews and system certifications across future Anduril programs
• Flow down safety guidance and manage key vendors (ESAD, warhead, etc.) as needed

Required Qualifications

• BS or higher in mechanical, systems, aerospace, or another engineering discipline
• 8+ years of experience in design, safety, certification, and systems engineering of ordnance systems
• 2+ years of experience leading, managing, or technically directing a team of engineers
• Warhead/fuze review board experience (WSERB, FISTRP, AFSRB, or equivalent)
• Munitions system certification or qualification experience
• Deep working knowledge of MIL-STD-882E, MIL-STD-1316, and MIL-STD-1901
• Experience in program management, customer and vendor management, and managing schedules and budgets
• Ability to travel for testing and customer meetings (surges up to 25%)
• Experience preparing formal safety documentation (specifications, test procedures, technical reports)
• Strong written and verbal communication skills — you'll be presenting to safety boards, collaborating across engineering and ops, and managing external stakeholders
• Must be able to obtain and hold a U.S. Top Secret security clearance
• In this role, you will be subject to pre-employment and randomized substance screening, as required by the Company.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active U.S. security clearance (DoD Secret, Top Secret, or DOE L/Q)
• Prior experience qualifying ordnance/munitions through multiple branches of the DoW
• Established relationships with key members of the DoW System Safety qualification boards
• Experience managing vendors providing services in support of safety qualifications
• Track record of building or scaling a safety engineering function in a fast-paced or growth-stage environment
• Experience mentoring junior engineers and establishing team processes, standards, and playbooks

US Salary Range

$166,000 - $220,000 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:

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 .