Senior Weapons Integration Engineer, Thunder

Anduril Industries; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 166,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity grants

Comprehensive benefits

Competitive compensation

Job summary

Anduril Industries in Costa Mesa, CA is seeking a Senior Weapons Integration Engineer to lead end-to-end integration of kinetic weapons onto an autonomous aircraft program. You will define interfaces, coordinate with autonomy teams, airframe partners, and suppliers to ensure safe, compliant integration and mission readiness.

You will drive test plans, hazard analyses, and design reviews, ensuring coherent weapon safety standards and robust interfaces for modern armaments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's/Master's/PhD in engineering, CS, or related technical discipline and progressive engineering experience.
• 5+ years of combined work experience in engineering.
• Familiarity with MIL-STD-1553, MIL-STD-1760, and interface control documents.

Responsibilities

• Lead or support integration, verification, and validation of weapon systems onto platforms.
• Develop program plans, estimates, and schedules.
• Design system architectures, perform analyses, and generate requirements.
• Coordinate with customers, contractors, and engineering groups on projects.
• Develop and present technical material for reviews and meetings.
• Support lab, ground, and flight test events.

Skills

Customer focus

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or CS

Master's degree in engineering or CS

PhD in engineering or CS

Tools

C/C++/Rust

MATLAB

Python

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

The Maneuver Dominance team is building Thunder - an autonomous attack rotorcraft built to fight alongside crewed combat aviation to deliver overwhelming mass effects deep beyond the front lines. The team in London builds the Mission System and the autonomy that makes aircraft like Thunder work.

Autonomy is only as good as the link that carries it. Thunder is a compact airframe with weapons, sensors and radios competing for the same antenna real estate, flying low and in formation, in a spectrum that is actively contested. That is the problem you would own.

ABOUT THE JOB

We’re looking for a Senior Weapons Integration Engineer to join the Thunder team in Costa Mesa, CA. As a Senior Weapons Integration Engineer, you will lead the end-to-end technical execution and tactical integration of kinetic stores and weapon systems onto an advanced autonomous aircraft program co-developed with our airframe partner.

You will architect critical Store Management System (SMS) trades, define digital and physical interfaces (e.g., MIL-STD-1760, UAI), and ensure the platform’s mission software reliably interfaces with diverse modern armaments. Serving as the platform’s weapons authority, you will interface closely with our internal autonomy teams, our partner’s airframe structures group, weapons suppliers, and government customers to synchronize mechanical bay constraints, safe separation dynamics, and fire-control architectures. You will drive integration test plans, hazard and system-level analyses, and regulatory flight safety baselines required for technical design reviews and weapon safety boards (e.g., WSESRB/NNMSB). This high-impact role is instrumental in transforming an autonomous platform into an operationally decisive, airworthy combat capability.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Lead or support efforts performing integration, verification and/or validation of weapon systems onto Anduril or other-party platforms
• Develop program plans, estimates, and schedules
• Develop system/architecture designs, perform system level analysis, and generate requirements
• Adjudicate conflicting design/development requirements with broader team
• Develop and present technical material for reviews and meetings
• Support lab, ground, and flight test events
• Develop/maintain Interface Control Documents, Software Requirement Specifications, Performance Specifications, presentations and review test plans/procedures
• Coordinate and interface with customers, contractors, and engineering groups assigned to projects
• Support ongoing operation of the weapons system(s)
• Provide support for proposals/white papers for future efforts or capabilities
• Provide direction to design and to technical staff
• Work with and manage suppliers to develop and procure hardware
• Identify risks and manage mitigation plans to closure

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelors, Masters or PhD degree in engineering, computer science or a related technical discipline and progressive engineering experience as follows;
• 5+ years of combined work experience with post-graduate study in an engineering discipline
• Familiarity with Air-to-Air/Air-to-Ground weapons, MIL-STD-1553, MIL-STD-1760, and logical Interface Control Documents
• Experience integrating weapons, payloads, or avionics onto aircraft
• Experience with weapon or tactical datalinks
• Must be customer focused with the ability to formulate and implement plans to resolve technical engineering problems
• Ability to travel to support program and test events (up to 25%)
• Must be able to obtain and hold a U.S. Top Secret security clearance

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Strong communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills with ability to effectively interface with other departments or professionals and represent the organization as a prime technical contact
• Familiarity with Seek Eagle and Non-Nuclear Munitions Safety Board processes
• Project management experience
• Software programming or embedded systems experience (familiarity with C/C++/Rust, MATLAB, Python, etc.)

US Salary Range

$166,000—$220,000 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.