Senior Principal Chief Engineer, Space Special Programs

InvestedintheMission; Virginia (MN); On-site; USD 292,000 - 386,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity grants

Top-tier benefits

Job summary

Anduril Industries is seeking a seasoned Spacecraft Engineer within the Space Special Programs team to design spacecraft architectures and lead cross-disciplinary efforts through the life cycle of space missions.

You will mentor engineers, draft test plans, and coordinate TACs with partners to deliver rapid, robust space capabilities for challenging environments, including on‑orbit operations and launch campaigns. US citizenship and TS clearance are required.

Qualifications

• 25+ years designing spacecraft and spacecraft subsystems with integration/operation campaigns.
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Responsibilities

• Help design spacecraft and space system architectures
• Build Conceptual designs of missions and payloads
• Work within a team of multidisciplinary engineers and specialists throughout the life of spacecraft design and integration process
• Manage tactical engineering efforts, interfacing between different engineering and test disciplines
• Draft and develop test plans for critical subsystems, and support vehicle level acceptance testing
• Develop interface controls for partners and customers for hardware, systems, and electrical integration of complex and unique payloads with existing and new Anduril spacecraft
• Support build and benchtop testing of new vehicle systems
• Support integration, testing, delivery, and operations of spacecraft and space subsystems
• Conduct hands‑on spacecraft testing with occasional travel
• Participate in design reviews, integration and test campaigns, launch‑site and on‑orbit operations campaigns
• Mentor engineers and help them learn the art of small spacecraft design and test – teach them your mistakes so they won’t need to repeat them
• Support critical hardware demonstrations with customers as needed

Skills

Spacecraft design

System architecture

Leadership / team management

Systems engineering

Electrical engineering

Mechanical engineering

Prototyping / hands-on build

Test planning

Interfacing with customers/partners

Travel readiness

Security clearance readiness

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

In the Space Special Programs team, we build spacecraft and space systems which serve a wide variety of functions in the space architecture. At a time when space superiority can no longer be taken for granted and with space systems proliferating at an incredible rate, the Space Special Programs team provides advanced, mission critical capabilities to our customer base to be able to more effectively operate and survive within this expanding environment with limited personnel. Working across product, engineering, sales, logistics, operations, and mission success, the Space Special Programs team develops, tests, deploys, and operates new, unique, space capabilities to drive mission success in challenging operational environments.

What You’ll Do

• Help design spacecraft and space system architectures
• Build Conceptual designs of missions and payloads
• Work within a team of multidisciplinary engineers and specialists throughout the life of spacecraft design and integration process
• Manage tactical engineering efforts, interfacing between different engineering and test disciplines
• Draft and develop test plans for critical subsystems, and support vehicle level acceptance testing
• Develop interface controls for partners and customers for hardware, systems, and electrical integration of complex and unique payloads with existing and new Anduril spacecraft
• Support build and benchtop testing of new vehicle systems
• Support integration, testing, delivery, and operations of spacecraft and space subsystems
• Conduct hands‑on spacecraft testing with occasional travel
• Participate in design reviews, integration and test campaigns, launch‑site and on‑orbit operations campaigns
• Mentor engineers and help them learn the art of small spacecraft design and test – teach them your mistakes so they won’t need to repeat them
• Support critical hardware demonstrations with customers as needed

Required Qualifications

• 25+ years of industry experience designing spacecraft and spacecraft subsystems and participating in integration and operation campaigns, with a specialty in either electrical, mechanical, software, or systems engineering
• 10+ years of industry experience working with, understanding, and designing spacecraft system architectures
• 10+ years of industry experience leading a team of engineers to implement and deliver space flight hardware
• Familiarity with concepts of systems engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and practicalities of integration and test campaigns
• Demonstrated experience with conceptual design and vehicle system architectures
• Proven track record of progressing from clean sheet design to functioning hardware
• Hands‑on build and prototyping of spacecraft systems
• A passion for mission, understanding the gaps which need to be filled, and designing/architecting systems to fill those gaps which can be quickly developed, integrated, tested, and delivered for operational capability
• Knowledge of electronics troubleshooting and ability to use basic test equipment
• Excellent ability to manage a team of engineers
• A sincere commitment to fostering a positive, inclusive, and collaborative culture
• Ability to travel as required for test planning and execution
• Must be a US Citizen and able to obtain and maintain a U.S. Top Secret security clearance

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing RF transponders and other small form‑factor RF equipment
• Hands‑on manufacturing and/or flight testing experience
• Experience in design engineering
• Understanding of spacecraft development lifecycles, testing campaigns, and operational campaigns

US Salary Range

$292,000 — $386,000 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.

Data Privacy

To view Anduril's candidate data privacy policy, please visit https://anduril.com/applicant-privacy-notice/.

By submitting your application, you consent to Anduril Industries using a third‑party service provider to conduct pre‑employment risk, integrity, and due diligence screening and assessing potential risks as part of your application process. This third‑party service provider provides risk‑intelligence services that may include analysis of sanctions and watchlists, adverse media, public‑record information, and other lawful open‑source or commercial data sources. This third‑party service provider does not act as a consumer reporting agency. Use of this provider helps to ensure compliance with applicable laws and protect technology, intellectual property, and organizational security.