Space Special Projects, Chief Engineer

Slope; Reston (VA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive equity grants

Comprehensive health benefits

Job summary

Anduril Industries is looking for a Chief Engineer to join our Space team in Reston, Virginia. In this role, you will lead technical efforts and oversee the development of space systems, ensuring efficient delivery of innovative solutions for national security.

Ideal candidates will possess strong experience in high dV spacecraft operations and demonstrate an ability to manage complex systems while providing critical technical direction to engineering teams. Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package included.

Qualifications

• Experience in architecting, developing, and delivering defense satellite systems.
• Strong understanding of multiple spacecraft subsystems.
• Proven ability to manage complex systems to meet government expectations.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical efforts for on-orbit operations.
• Provide oversight for multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Conduct system-level trade studies balancing risk, cost, and performance.

Skills

U.S. Top Secret or TS/SCI clearance

Defense/IC satellite and space systems

High dV spacecraft experience

Technical communication skills

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 real‑time, 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 Space team is at the forefront of advancing national security capabilities in the space domain. Our mission is twofold: 1) develop autonomous satellite systems and space‑based platforms, and 2) deliver critical ground and orbital software infrastructure at scale. We transform products and capabilities across space command and control (C2), mission management, and space operations from early concepts into fully operational systems by partnering closely with specialist engineering, operations, and production teams. Through our integrated approach, we design and deploy space software systems using advanced algorithms, distributed architectures, and resilient infrastructure—delivering reliable, mission‑critical capabilities that support operators across orbital and ground‑based assets. Space Systems hires software engineers and systems engineers who are excited to build across a diverse and powerful portfolio—from satellite operations software to space domain awareness platforms. Our teams contribute to highly capable autonomous space systems and ground software products that operate reliably in the most demanding mission environments, supporting the DOD and IC in defending our national interests in space.

ABOUT THE JOB

We are looking for Chief Engineers to join our rapidly growing Space team. In this role, you will serve as a technical lead on a wide berth of emerging developments geared towards an all‑encompassing spacecraft mission focused on dynamic space operations and highly maneuverable satellites. This will include driving technology developments through design, build, test, and delivery for on‑orbit operations across high dV propulsion systems, optical sensor suites, closed‑loop guidance and navigation, and systems engineering in close concert with new and legacy ground software enterprises. The Chief Engineer will develop a technical strategy and roadmap in conjunction with leadership of the business line that effectively leverages current Anduril technologies and newly developed technologies to serve the customer mission areas. The role will address pre‑award demonstrations, early contract phases, and full‑contract execution. Working with a multidisciplinary engineering team, the Chief Engineer will ensure the efficient development and delivery of hardware and software solutions for the customer. These efforts will include leading complex, integrated systems for on‑orbit operations and demonstrations to include sub‑contracted teammates and strategic partnerships. The Chief Engineer will need to facilitate effective technical development and integration that spans company‑boundaries in an agile development approach within the context of a continuous integration/continuous deployment paradigm. They will balance development of new capabilities with incorporation of several pre‑existing Anduril or industry capabilities and effectively communicate development status to internal and external stakeholders. The Chief Engineer will provide technical oversight of all aspects of program execution from proposals to SRR, PDR, CDR, MRR, TRR, assembly, qualification testing, and delivery of flight units for launch. In conjunction with the Head of Engineering for Space Missions, the Chief Engineer will assist in building out the necessary infrastructure for Anduril to execute on all necessary aspects of a space‑based interceptor consisting of satellite and payload build and test, including working with external vendors for establishing test requirements and pass/fail criteria.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Provide technical expertise across multiple spacecraft subsystems and ground systems
• Leverage strategic partnerships and teammates for building out new products to satisfy customer requirements in new and challenging mission areas
• Contribute technical inputs to proposals, including engineering execution plans
• Provide oversight to a multidisciplinary team of engineers through all phases of program execution up to and including delivery and operation of capabilities on‑orbit
• Perform mission and system‑level trade studies and analysis to balance risk, cost, and performance

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Active U.S. Top Secret or TS/SCI clearance
• Prior technical experience supporting DoD or IC customers
• Experience in architecting, developing, and delivering defense/IC satellite and space hardware and software systems
• Experience in high dV spacecraft, dynamic space operations, space‑based sensing, and understanding mission operations for surveillance and reconnaissance at multiple orbits
• Understanding of the recent/current technical state of key USSF and IC space systems and mission areas
• Demonstrated ability to decompose complex systems with competing objectives (e.g., performance, schedule, openness, cybersecurity, MLS) into executable requirements and execution, then delivering on those to meet government expectations
• Experience with spacecraft standards for qualification testing and acceptance testing, including the use of GEVS, SMC‑S‑016 (MIL‑STD‑1540), etc.
• Experience with U.S. government space mission areas and associated CONOPS for successfully executing missions to enable space for the warfighter
• Design and development of space vehicle and payload architectures and detailed mission solutions to complex space domain challenges
• Strong technical communication skills, providing the ability to deliver critical technical briefings and conclusions to technical leadership, company leadership, and customers
• Strong technical fundamentals in space systems, space ground infrastructure, and product development

Benefits

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 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 our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you’re supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next.