Senior Propulsion Engineer

Anduril; Santa Ana (CA); On-site; USD 167,000 - 222,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity grants

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company driving advanced autonomy, AI, and sensor fusion for maritime systems. The Maritime Division is scaling Arsenal-2 and building the Proto-Factory in California to prototype shipyard workflows and propulsion solutions for Navy programs.

You will own propulsion design for a maritime autonomous vehicle, reporting to the Endurance Systems Lead, guiding thruster selection, integration, and performance within a multi-disciplinary program with tight

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Naval Architecture, Ocean Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent.
• 5+ years of experience in marine propulsion or vehicle performance analysis.
• Familiarity with electric thruster systems or marine propulsion drives.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Own propulsion system design, including thruster selection, integration, and performance.
• Define propulsion power requirements and coordinate with Energy Systems on the power budget.
• Lead trade studies on speed, endurance, noise, and propulsive efficiency.
• Collaborate with the Senior Hydrodynamics Engineer to match thruster to drag and hull interaction.
• Coordinate with thruster team and vendors.
• Plan and run propulsion testing, including sea trials.
• Contribute to design-for-manufacturability reviews.
• Travel up to 25% to test sites and vendor facilities.

Skills

Marine propulsion experience

Security clearance eligibility

Electric thruster familiarity

Education

Bachelor's degree in Naval Architecture, Ocean Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent

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's Maritime Division is transforming American sea power to meet the defining national security challenges of our era and secure our future of maritime dominance. We are scaling at an historic pace, anchored by Arsenal-2, our new software-defined shipyard being built in Baltimore County, Maryland. It's part of a new $6.6 billion investment in America's submarine industrial base.

Arsenal-2 is purpose-built to break long-standing industrial bottlenecks and scale production of critical components for the Navy's Virginia-class attack submarines to support fleet requirements. At the same time, it will build the industrial muscle to field our next-generation AUVs at scale.

We aren't waiting for the new shipyard to be completed. The work on this transformation starts right now, with development inside our new 160,000 square foot Proto-Factory in Orange County, California, where the team is already laying the foundation. As the prototyping hub for Arsenal-2, this facility gives us a multi-year head start, proving out the advanced manufacturing methods, digital workflows, and quality systems that will scale across our broader shipyard network.

In Anduril's Maritime Division, we are actively building America's next decisive advantage at sea—and this is the moment to join us.

ABOUT THE JOB

You will own propulsion design for a maritime autonomous vehicle. Reporting to the Endurance Systems Lead, you'll lead thruster design and selection, propulsion integration, and the efficiency trades that decide how far and how long the vehicle can run.

You'll set the analysis and test plan, work collaboratively with other teams, and drive the work to completion. We're looking for someone who has done this before on a multi-disciplinary vehicle program with tight performance margins, and who can use that experience to decide which analyses and tests actually need to happen.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Own propulsion system design, including thruster selection, integration, and performance
• Define propulsion power requirements and work with Energy Systems on the power budget
• Lead trade studies on speed, endurance, noise, and propulsive efficiency
• Work with the Senior Hydrodynamics Engineer to match the thruster to the vehicle's drag and to account for hull and propulsor interaction
• Coordinate with the thruster team and thruster vendors
• Plan and run propulsion testing, and support prototype testing including sea trials
• Contribute to design-for-manufacturability reviews
• Travel up to 25% to test sites and vendor facilities

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Naval Architecture, Ocean Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent
• 5+ years of experience in marine propulsion or vehicle performance analysis
• Familiarity with electric thruster systems or marine propulsion drives
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience with AUV or UUV propulsion systems
• Working knowledge of propeller or thruster design and optimization
• Experience with propulsion testing
• Experience using CFD for propeller or thruster analysis
• Familiarity with acoustic signature management
• Experience in defense or maritime robotics

US Salary Range: $167,000 — $222,000 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.