Senior Manufacturing Engineer - Autonomous Aircraft

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

Job summary

Anduril Industries in Costa Mesa, California seeks a Senior Manufacturing Engineer to lead the development and implementation of complex manufacturing processes for autonomous aircraft hardware. You will own the manufacturing value chain end-to-end, from DFM input through process development and production support, ensuring scalable, reliable production.

You will drive process improvements, establish standards, mentor engineers, and manage capital projects while collaborating across engineering,

Qualifications

• 7+ years of manufacturing engineering experience in aerospace, defense, or complex hardware production environments.
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering or equivalent hands‑on manufacturing experience.
• Ownership of manufacturing processes end-to-end — from process development through production support.
• Track record of leading process improvements that delivered measurable gains in quality, throughput, or cost.
• Experience managing capital projects and production budgets.
• Proficiency with CAD tools (CATIA, SolidWorks, NX, or equivalent) and production planning systems (ERP, MES, PLM).
• Strong DFM/DFA instincts — demonstrated ability to influence design decisions for manufacturability.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and mentoring engineers.
• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of complex manufacturing processes from concept to production for autonomous aircraft subsystems.
• Own the manufacturing value chain end-to-end for your subsystems — from DFM input through process development, work instruction authoring, tooling definition, and production support.
• Design and execute process improvements that optimize workflow and increase production capacity across your subsystems.
• Develop technical roadmaps for manufacturing technology advancement aligned with program and business objectives.
• Establish engineering standards and best practices that become benchmarks for the ME organization.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective action (RCCA) for manufacturing non-conformances, driving systemic fixes.
• Manage capital expenditure projects from justification through implementation and validation, controlling project budgets and delivering on time.
• Drive production readiness activities including MBOMs, process capability assessments, and rate-readiness planning.
• Lead cross-functional teams to resolve complex manufacturing issues spanning engineering, supply chain, quality, and production.
• Mentor and develop junior and mid-level manufacturing engineers, serving as a technical escalation point for complex manufacturing issues.

Skills

Manufacturing engineering

CAD tools

DFM/DFA

Capital projects

Cross-functional teams

Mentoring engineers

Security clearance

Lean Six Sigma

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering

Tools

ERP

MES

PLM

Teamcenter

SAP

Oracle

Job description

Anduril Industries in Costa Mesa, California seeks a Senior Manufacturing Engineer to lead the development and implementation of complex manufacturing processes for autonomous aircraft hardware. You will own the manufacturing value chain end-to-end, from DFM input through process development and production support, ensuring scalable, reliable production.

You will drive process improvements, establish standards, mentor engineers, and manage capital projects while collaborating across engineering,