Space Missions Chief Engineer

Neura Market; Costa Mesa, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 253,000 - 336,000; Full time

Job summary

Anduril Industries in Costa Mesa, CA seeks a Chief Engineer for the Space Missions team to lead technical strategy and oversee space vehicle and payload developments for on‑orbit operations. You will bridge architecture, design, build, test, and delivery across multiple disciplines.

The role requires broad space domain expertise, strong leadership, and the ability to communicate progress to executives and customers, with a focus on high‑impact missions and collaborations with partners.

Qualifications

• Architect/deliver defense satellite systems with hands‑on space vehicle design.
• Deep domain in SDA, Space Control, RPO and dynamic space operations.
• Experience with high‑dV spacecraft architectures and relative navigation.
• Strong understanding of USSF/IC space enterprise systems and concepts of operations.
• Ability to decompose complex requirements into executable roadmaps.
• Familiar with space qualification and testing methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and system‑level expertise across spacecraft subsystems.
• Act as the technical authority and maintain the program's technical integrity.
• Lead architecture development for mission areas including Space Control and RPO.
• Drive lifecycle from early trades to flight hardware and on‑orbit commissioning.
• Leverage partnerships to build new products meeting customer needs.
• Refine strategy and provide engineering input to proposals and demonstrations.
• Mentor a multi‑disciplinary engineering team through all program phases.
• Perform trade studies balancing risk, cost, schedule, and performance.

Skills

Spacecraft architecture

RPO expertise

SDA knowledge

GNC systems

Space mission design

Systems engineering

Technical leadership

Job description

Anduril Industries in Costa Mesa, CA seeks a Chief Engineer for the Space Missions team to lead technical strategy and oversee space vehicle and payload developments for on‑orbit operations. You will bridge architecture, design, build, test, and delivery across multiple disciplines.

The role requires broad space domain expertise, strong leadership, and the ability to communicate progress to executives and customers, with a focus on high‑impact missions and collaborations with partners.