Staff Mechanical Engineer, Advanced Targeting & Sensing Systems

Anduril Industries; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 191,000 - 222,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity grants

Competitive benefits

Health and wellness support

Job summary

Anduril Industries is seeking a senior mechanical engineer to own the full design lifecycle of rugged hardware, coordinating CAD models, prototyping, and rigorous testing. You’ll ensure seamless integration with subsystems like LiDAR and power systems, while driving for manufacturability and field reliability.

The role demands deep experience in design ownership, RCAs, and DFx methods, with the ability to travel for field feedback and qualification campaigns.

Qualifications

• B.S. or higher in Mechanical Engineering or a related technical field.
• 10+ years of professional mechanical engineering experience with design ownership.
• Strong fundamentals in mechanical design, tolerance analysis, and materials selection.
• Hands-on prototyping experience; comfortable moving between CAD, machine shop, and test bench.
• Proficiency with CAD software and the ability to produce high-quality engineering drawings and documentation.
• Meaningful experience with managing a BOM and drawings within a PLM tool.
• Experience with complex root cause analysis (RCA) and implementation of PCA.
• A self-starter mentality with minimal oversight.

Responsibilities

• Lead the full mechanical design lifecycle for rugged, mission-critical hardware.
• Drive design evolution and translate feedback into detailed mechanical designs.
• Own the CAD-to-prototype pipeline, coordinate fabrication, and validate performance via benchtop testing.
• Ensure robust mechanical integration across subsystems (LiDAR, mounts, power, electronics).
• Design for extreme environments (shock, vibration, environmental sealing) and field maintainability.
• Manage engineering documentation, including drawings, specs, and BOMs, with change control.
• Support qualification campaigns and collaborate with cross-functional teams to reach program goals.
• Engage with end users to gather feedback during exercises and provide product support.

Skills

Design ownership

CAD modeling

Tolerance analysis

Prototyping

Engineering drawings

BOM management

PLM tools

RCA / PCA

Self-starter

Security clearance (US Person)

Education

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or related

Tools

NX/Teamcenter

CAD software

Manufacturing processes (machining, sheet metal, composites)

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.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the full mechanical design lifecycle for rugged, mission-critical hardware, from initial assessment of existing architecture (mounting, housings, thermal management, integration points), documenting tribal knowledge, and evaluating CAD models, to identifying design gaps and technical debt.
• Drive design evolution and innovation, translating operational feedback and evolving requirements into detailed mechanical designs.
• Own the complete CAD-to-prototype pipeline, including design, coordinating fabrication, and validating performance through rigorous benchtop testing.
• Ensure robust mechanical integration across complex subsystems (e.g., LiDAR, weapon mounts, power systems, electronics) and design for extreme operational environments (shock, vibration, environmental sealing) and field maintainability.
• Serve as the mechanical authority for product quality, investigating and resolving complex issues, implementing permanent corrective actions, and driving Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) improvements.
• Manage all engineering documentation, including production drawings, technical specifications, and the engineering Bill of Materials (BOM), while overseeing configuration and change management processes.
• Support qualification campaigns to validate operational capabilities and collaborate extensively with cross-functional teams (electrical/firmware, manufacturing, test/evaluation) to achieve program goals.
• Engage directly with warfighters in the field, traveling to exercises to collect feedback and provide critical product support.

Required Qualifications

• B.S. or higher in Mechanical Engineering or a related technical field.
• 10+ years of professional mechanical engineering experience with a demonstrated track record of design ownership in a team setting.
• Strong fundamentals in mechanical design, tolerance analysis, and materials selection, paired with high competence and fluid use of engineering first principles.
• Hands-on prototyping experience; comfortable moving between CAD, machine shop, and test bench.
• Proficiency with CAD software and the ability to produce high-quality engineering drawings and documentation.
• Meaningful experience with managing a BOM and drawings within a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) tool.
• Experience with complex root cause analysis (RCA) and implementation of permanent corrective action (PCA) related to quality improvement.
• A self-starter mentality, capable of identifying problems, proposing innovative solutions, and executing with minimal oversight.
• U.S. Person status is required as this position needs to access export-controlled data.

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in defense or ruggedized systems, with experience designing for extreme shock, vibration, and environmental sealing.
• Prior experience with small arms components and features.
• Experience in medium to high-volume production environments (100s of units or more).
• Ownership of a complex bill of materials for an electromechanical product.
• Comfort with formal change management processes and managing multiple configurations of a single product.
• Knowledge of various manufacturing processes including machining, sheet metal, composites, injection molding, and 3D printing.
• Experience with NX/Teamcenter.
• Active Top Secret Security clearance or the ability to obtain and maintain one.

US Salary Range

$191,000—$222,000 USD

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 (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.
• 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.