Senior Manufacturing Engineer, Autonomous Airpower

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

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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 Air Dominance and Strike Division is one of Anduril’s fastest growing, most technically complex divisions. We develop and build collaborative combat aircraft, missiles, and the software that powers these autonomous weapons. We are scaling production of autonomous aircraft across our manufacturing facilities. Manufacturing Engineering drives process development, production readiness, and the transition from prototype to rate — ensuring that what Design engineers create can be built reliably, repeatedly, and at scale.

About the job

Anduril is seeking a Senior Manufacturing Engineer to join the Autonomous Airpower manufacturing team in Costa Mesa, California. You will lead the development and implementation of complex manufacturing processes from concept to production for autonomous aircraft hardware. This role spans the full breadth of manufacturing engineering disciplines and may focus on one or more of the following areas depending on your background: structures and composites, mechanical systems (landing gear, doors, actuators), fluid systems (hydraulic, fuel, pneumatic), propulsion integration, avionics, or harnessing and electrical integration.

At this level, you operate independently and own outcomes for your subsystems with full accountability. You lead multiple high-impact projects simultaneously, drive technical decisions that shape how hardware gets built, and serve as a technical resource and mentor for the broader ME team. You bring deep manufacturing engineering expertise, a track record of designing and executing process improvements that deliver measurable results, and the ability to establish engineering standards and best practices from the ground up.

What you’ll do

• 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 rather than one-off dispositions
• 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

What we’re looking for

• 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
• Demonstrated 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

Preferred qualifications

• Experience in one or more of the following: composite structures, mechanical systems (landing gear, flight controls, doors), fluid systems (hydraulic, fuel, pneumatic), propulsion, avionics integration, or wire harness manufacturing
• Experience transitioning hardware from prototype or first‑article builds to rate production
• Experience with aircraft or autonomous vehicle assembly
• Knowledge of AS9100, aerospace quality systems, and non‑conformance management processes
• Experience with Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, or structured continuous improvement methodologies
• Experience working with Teamcenter, SAP, Oracle, or similar PLM/ERP platforms
• Active U.S. Secret security clearance

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.

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