Staff Manufacturing Engineer, Special Projects

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

Benefits offered by this job

Security clearance eligible

Competitive benefits

Job summary

Anduril Industries is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer who will serve as the subject-matter expert for composites manufacturing, lead NPI efforts, and drive process optimization in a fast-paced, resource-constrained environment.

You will own manufacturing processes, mentor teams, and collaborate with Design, Quality, Supply Chain, and Operations to deliver high‑quality defense hardware, including ground and flight vehicles.

Qualifications

• Degree in a technical field such as engineering, math, or a hard science.
• 8+ years of experience in manufacturing or design.
• Ability to creatively solve problems in a resource-constrained environment.
• Knowledge of PLM, ERP, MES, and other manufacturing planning systems.
• Willingness to travel frequently (>25%) to support global manufacturing operations.
• Experience in designing and working with molds for composites and various fabrication processes.

Responsibilities

• Technical leadership as the primary technical expert for composites manufacturing, assembly, and test methodologies.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to manufacturing teams and cross-functional departments.
• Stay abreast of new manufacturing technologies and drive adoption where beneficial.
• Evaluate and integrate new manufacturing technologies and automation concepts.
• Ensure processes comply with industry standards and internal quality management systems.
• Lead New Product Introduction to transition products from prototype to high-volume production.
• Collaborate with Design Engineering on Design For Manufacturability (DFM).
• Establish scalable DFM frameworks across products/sites/providers.
• Review technical data packages for manufacturability before supplier handoff.
• Develop and maintain composites workmanship standards and process parameters.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives (Lean, Six Sigma) to reduce costs and cycle times.
• Act as a liaison between Design, Quality, Supply Chain, Test, and Operations.
• Present updates to senior leadership and technical teams.
• Interface with suppliers to resolve issues and ensure manufacturability.

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.

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 JOB

Anduril’s Manufacturing team is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer to join our team and be a subject matter expert in composites manufacturing. The Manufacturing Team is responsible for rapidly iterating and building cutting-edge defense hardware, including static equipment, moving ground equipment, and complex flight vehicles. This responsibility includes everything in the manufacturing value-chain, including, but not limited to, Design for Manufacturability work, tool design & selection, process creation & optimization, vendor sourcing & interaction, quality planning, and work documentation associated with the hardware that the Manufacturing Engineer owns.

The right person for this role can demonstrate past holistic ownership on solving a technical challenge with a creative, physical solution that they either personally manufactured or oversaw manufacturing on, in a fast-paced, resource-limited environment. If you are someone who thrives in such an environment, then this role is for you.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

Technical Leadership

• Serve as the primary technical expert for all composites manufacturing processes, assembly, and test methodologies.
• Provide expert consultation, guidance, and mentorship to manufacturing engineers, production teams, and cross-functional departments.
• Stay abreast of emerging manufacturing technologies, materials, and industry trends specific to composites manufacturing, recommending and championing their adoption where beneficial.
• Evaluate, select, and integrate new manufacturing technologies and automation solution concepts into production.
• Ensure all manufacturing processes and products adhere strictly to industry standards, regulatory requirements, and internal quality management systems.

New Product Introduction

• Leverage expertise in New Product Introduction (NPI) to seamlessly transition Anduril products from prototype to high-volume production, optimizing manufacturability and supply chain scalability
• Collaborate with Design Engineering teams early in the development process to provide feedback for Design For Manufacturability (DFM)
• Establish scalable DFM frameworks that enable consistent execution across multiple products, sites, and manufacturing partners
• Review and analyze technical data packages (TDPs) for composite components to ensure completeness, accuracy, and manufacturability before supplier handoff

Process Optimization & Improvement

• Develop and maintain composites workmanship standards, process parameters, and design rules aligned to evolving product and technology roadmaps
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives (Lean, Six Sigma) to enhance product quality, reduce costs, decrease cycle times, and improve overall operational efficiency.

Collaboration & Communication

• Act as a technical liaison between various departments (Design, Quality, Supply Chain, Test, Operations).
• Present complex technical information, recommendations, and project updates to senior leadership and technical teams.
• Interface with key suppliers to resolve technical issues and ensure component manufacturability and quality.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Degree in a technical field such as engineering, math, or a hard science.

• 8+ years of experience in a relevant field, manufacturing or design

• Demonstrated ability to creatively integrate and deliver in a resource-constrained environment.

• Possess the ability to understand new concepts quickly; apply them accurately; organize, schedule, and coordinate work phases; and, determine the appropriate approach at the task level or, with assistance, at the project level to provide solutions to a range of complex problems.

• Knowledge of PLM, ERP, MES, and other related manufacturing planning and management systems.

• Willingness to travel frequently (>25%) to support global manufacturing operations

• Demonstrated success in scaling product testing and production from tens/hundreds to hundreds/thousands.

• Experience in designing and working with molds for composites made from a variety of materials, and a thorough understanding of tradeoffs in material selection

• Demonstrated expertise in multiple composite fabrication processes including:

  • Autoclave processing
  • Resin transfer molding (RTM)
  • Vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM)
  • Out-of-autoclave processing
  • Compression molding
  • Filament winding

• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance

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.