Senior Sourcing Engineer, Optics and Infrared Materials

Anduril Industries, Inc.; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 161,000 - 212,000; Full time

Job summary

Anduril Industries is seeking a Senior Sourcing Engineer for Optics and Infrared Materials based in Massachusetts. You will own supplier relationships end to end, negotiating terms and securing capacity for high-precision optical components.

The role emphasizes cost modeling, should-cost analyses, and driving total cost of ownership. You will engage engineering early to align design with supply realities and travel 10–25% as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, supply chain, or related technical field or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years across sourcing engineering, commodity management, supplier development, supplier quality, manufacturing engineering, or cost engineering.
• Experience owning supplier relationships that included both technical assessment and commercial negotiation.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and CAD models/assemblies.
• Willingness to travel 10-25% for vendor on-site visits.
• Eligibility to access export-controlled technical data under United States export control law.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. secret clearance.

Responsibilities

• Own suppliers end to end. Identify sources, run RFQs, drive input to make-buy decisions, and manage the relationship.
• Negotiate the commercial structure: pricing, capacity commitments, lead times, payment terms, and service terms.
• Build should-cost and cost-models; perform cost breakdown analyses and drive total cost of ownership.
• Secure capacity ahead of ramp; map lead times and close capacity gaps before they impact schedules.
• Engage engineering early to influence design decisions with supply intelligence.
• De-risk BOM through supplier qualification, alternates, and obsolescence management.
• Escalate and clear blockers; participate in reviews and executive escalation when needed.
• Incorporate compliance: country of origin, export control, and regulatory requirements into supplier selection.

Skills

Supplier relationships

Negotiation

Read CAD drawings

Travel willingness

Export controls

U.S. security clearance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related field

Advanced technical degree

Tools

CAD models

Job description

Senior Sourcing Engineer, Optics and Infrared Materials

Waltham, Massachusetts, United States

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 Imaging builds electro-optical and infrared sensor systems that go on Anduril platforms as well as our own stand-alone products. The hardware is precision optics, cooled infrared detectors, custom electronics, and tight-tolerance electromechanical assemblies. Several products are moving from development into rate production at the same time.

ABOUT THE JOB

Senior Sourcing Engineer owns the supply chain outcomes behind those products. The team is small and growing. You will own supplier relationships end to end, from identifying a source and negotiating the agreement to standing up capacity and holding it through a ramp.

This role requires deep understanding of areas in infrared optics and the materials behind them. Germanium crystal, boules, and blanks. Chalcogenide infrared glass. Lens and window fabrication, grinding, polishing, diamond turning, and centering as well as optical coatings. Lens cell assemblies and related optical assemblies. Detector and dewar assemblies, cold filters, and cryocoolers.
This commodity carries additional exposure. Germanium pricing and availability are driven by export policy and a thin upstream supply base, and the alternative material paths carry their own critical mineral dependencies. The work includes reaching past tier one into the feedstock layer, modeling material price scenarios, and structuring forward positions and consignment arrangements that secure supply rather than just placing orders.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Own suppliers end to end. Identify and select sources, run requests for quote, drive input to make-buy decisions, and serve as the commercial and technical owner of the relationship. Supplier signals currently reach Anduril through several uncoordinated paths. You will be the conduit that keeps them consistent across programs.
• Negotiate the commercial structure. Draft and negotiate pricing, capacity commitments, lead times, payment, warranty, and service terms. Build toward long-term agreements where they secure capacity. Sequence leverage deliberately so commitments buy terms rather than just parts.
• Build the cost model, then use it. Develop should-cost and clean-sheet models, run cost-breakdown analysis on quotes, and drive total cost of ownership across the lifecycle. Reconcile bill of material cost against finance so product cost reflects what the parts actually cost.
• Secure capacity ahead of ramp. Map supply network lead time and flexibility, place coverage against demand well before it is needed, and resolve capacity gaps before they become schedule problems. Suppliers in this space book out far in advance. The job is to be early.
• Engage engineering before the design locks. Give design for manufacturability feedback, influence specifications using supply intelligence on availability, lead time, and lifecycle health, so design decisions account for supply reality instead of discovering it.
• De-risk the bill of material. Complete risk assessments, qualify alternates and second sources, drive commonality and supplier rationalization, and manage obsolescence before it gates a build.
• Escalate and clear blockers. Participate in program reviews and operational escalation forums. Triage supply disruptions, resolve shortages, and drive supplier issues to conclusion, including executive escalation when it is warranted.
• Carry compliance into the sourcing decision. Work country of origin, domestic content, defense acquisition regulation, export control, and rated order requirements into supplier selection and purchase order structure. The point is to engineer compliance into the design and supply decision rather than remediate it later.
• Complete supplier qualification. Own the capability and authorization portions of supplier evaluation and coordinate with the Supplier Quality Organization.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, supply chain, or a related technical field, or equivalent experience
• 8 or more years across sourcing engineering, commodity management, supplier development, supplier quality, manufacturing engineering, or cost engineering
• Experience owning supplier relationships that included both technical assessment and commercial negotiation
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and CAD model and assemblies.
• Ability to travel a 10-25% of the time for vendor on-site visits
• Eligible to access export-controlled technical data under United States export control law
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. secret clearance

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Advanced technical degree
• Experience in infrared or electro-optical systems, precision optics, photonics, sensors, or other high-precision hardware
• Should-cost or clean-sheet cost modeling, design-to-cost, or value engineering work
• Experience taking a product from development into rate production, particularly in high-mix low-volume environments
• Experience negotiating long-term agreements, supply agreements, or capacity commitments
• Familiarity with defense acquisition regulation flowdowns, export control, rated orders, country of origin, or domestic content requirements
• Experience in a fast-moving company where the process was still being built

US Salary Range

$161,000 - $212,000 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:

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 .

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Anduril Industries’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.