Senior Mechanical Engineer, Intelligence Systems

Anduril; Santa Ana (CA); On-site; USD 146,000 - 194,000; Full time

Job summary

Anduril Industries in Santa Ana, CA, seeks a Senior Mechanical Engineer to design and develop advanced defense hardware. You will collaborate with electrical and software teams, prototype components, run thermal/structural analyses, and support manufacturing for mission-critical solutions.

Candidates have 10+ years in mechanical engineering, CAD expertise, and hands-on fabrication skills, with a strong first-principles mindset and ability to travel to test sites.

Qualifications

• Active U.S. security clearance required and maintainable.
• 10+ years as Mechanical Engineer in a professional setting.
• BS, M.Eng, MS or PhD in a related engineering field.
• Experience on immersive technical projects (collegiate or professional).
• Proficient CAD skills and ability to create high-quality drawings.
• Hands-on fabrication experience and strong first-principles approach.

Responsibilities

• Own hardware from concept to real-world use.
• Apply first principles physics to decisions.
• Lead design reviews, run analyses, visit vendors, plan tests.
• Build prototypes, analyze failures, transition to production.
• Support hardware demonstrations with customers as needed.
• Travel to test sites as required.

Skills

Security clearance

10+ years experience

CAD skills

Hands-on fabrication

First principles

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

BS, M.Eng, MS or PhD in related engineering field

Tools

Siemens NX

Teamcenter

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

Anduril Intelligence Systems (AIS) is focused on positioning Anduril as a lead provider of specialized engineering and products for Intelligence Community (IC) customers. We work within the IC to understand their requirements, shape their concepts of operation, and deliver exquisite capability across their problem set. We aim to develop and deploy critically needed capabilities that address our customers’ most pressing national security requirements.

About the Job

We are looking for a Senior Mechanical Engineer to join our rapidly growing team in Santa Ana, CA. In this role, you will be responsible for designing and developing mechanical systems and components for cutting‑edge defense technologies. You will collaborate with cross‑functional teams, including electrical and software engineers, to ensure seamless integration of systems. This role involves hands‑on prototyping, CAD modeling, thermal and structural analysis, and supporting the manufacturing process to deliver mission‑critical solutions.

What You’ll Do:

• Own hardware from concept generation to real world use
• Use first principles physics as a basis for every decision
• Lead design reviews, run analysis, visit vendors, define and execute hardware test plans
• Build prototypes, analyze failures, and transition successful projects into production
• Support critical hardware demonstrations with customers as needed
• Travel to test sites as needed

Required Qualifications:

• Currently possesses and is able to maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance
• 10+ years of Mechanical Engineer experience in a professional setting
• BS, M.Eng, MS or PhD in a related engineering field
• Experience in an immersive technical project (collegiate project teams or professional settings)
• CAD skills (any platform) and ability to make high quality engineering drawings that meet common industry standards
• Demonstrated hands‑on fabrication skills
• High competence with, and fluid use of, engineering first principles

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with integration of PCBAs and other electronics into a mechanical system
• Experience in SiemensNX & Teamcenter
• Experience with designing passive and active thermal management into mechanical designs
• Experience with designing hardware with EMI constraints
• Experience working closely with electrical engineers, software engineers, manufacturing engineers

Salary Range

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 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.