Staff Systems Engineer - Payload Lead

Anduril-1; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 191,000 - 253,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Top-tier benefits

Equity grants

Job summary

Anduril Industries seeks a Senior Systems Engineer - Payloads Lead to guide the Maneuver Dominance payloads portfolio across Thunder. You will lead multiple payload teams, align with vehicle software, and manage external suppliers and integration partners.

The role requires leadership, experience with weapons/payload integration, and the ability to coordinate across disciplines to deliver robust payload capability for autonomous air vehicles.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in engineering or related field with progressive leadership.
• Experience leading multiple engineering teams or a multi-team org.
• Hands-on with MIL-STD 1553 and/or 1760 interfaces.
• Experience integrating weapons, payloads, or avionics onto aircraft.

Responsibilities

• Own the payloads architecture and roadmap across weapon and payload systems.
• Lead multiple payload integration teams and manage staffing.
• Develop plans, estimates, and schedules for payloads.
• Ensure interface consistency across electrical, mechanical, software, and datalink domains.

Skills

Team leadership

MIL-STD 1553/1760

Air vehicle integration

Customer & supplier relationships

C++/Python

Education

Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in engineering or related field

Tools

SysML

Jama

NX/Teamcenter

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

Anduril is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer - Payloads Lead to join the Maneuver Dominance team at our Costa Mesa HQ. The Maneuver Dominance (MD) Team at Anduril develops aerial robotic systems designed to operate in large coordinated teams in concert with ground maneuver forces. We leverage existing Anduril drone platforms like Ghost, Altius, or Roadrunner, in addition to bringing 3rd party platforms into Anduril’s Lattice ecosystem. We develop perception and autonomy algorithms to solve some of the hardest problems facing our customers.

As the Payload Lead, you will own the payloads portfolio across the Thunder platform, leading multiple payload and weapon integration teams and driving cross team architecture, interfaces, and product execution. Work closely with the Mission Systems Lead and Mission Autonomy Lead to align payload capability with vehicle and mission software, and serve as the primary technical relationship owner with external weapon and payload suppliers and integration partners. Own staffing, prioritization, and delivery across the payloads org. This is a unique opportunity to grow your expertise in one of the most challenging and differing engineering domains; large autonomous air vehicles.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Own the overall payloads architecture and roadmap across all weapon and payload systems integrated onto the platform
• Lead and grow multiple payload integration teams, each responsible for a specific weapon or payload module
• Develop program plans, estimates, and schedules across the payloads portfolio
• Drive cross team interface consistency in electrical (1553/1760), structural and mechanical, software, and datalink domains across all payload teams
• Own staffing plans, hiring, and resource allocation across the payloads organization
• Own product execution across payload workstreams, including prioritization, roadmap, delivery tracking, and cross team dependency management
• Partner closely with the Mission Systems Lead and Mission Autonomy Lead to align payload capability, interfaces, and timelines with vehicle management and autonomy software
• Serve as primary technical relationship owner with customers, contractors, and external weapon and payload suppliers, covering commercial terms, technical scope, and delivery commitments
• Own or delegate stores management system (SMS) and fire control architecture standards applied consistently across payload modules
• Drive modular, open architecture standards (MOSA/WOSA) across the payloads portfolio to enable rapid reconfiguration and multi weapon compatibility
• Own safe separation and airworthiness certification strategy across the payload portfolio, coordinating with flight test and certification authorities
• Own requirements generation, Interface Control Documents, Software Requirement Specifications, and Performance Specifications standards across payload teams
• Support ongoing operation and sustainment of fielded weapon systems
• Support proposals and white papers for future payload efforts or capabilities
• Represent the payloads organization in program level technical reviews, customer engagements, and executive reviews
• Escalate and resolve cross team technical and resourcing conflicts across payload workstreams, including conflicting design and development requirements
• Travel up to 25% to test sites, integration facilities, and partner locations

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in engineering, computer science, or a related technical discipline from an accredited institution, with progressive engineering experience as follows: eleven or more years with a bachelor's degree, nine or more years with a master's degree, or seven or more years with a PhD, including people leadership; equivalent engineering experience may substitute for education
• Demonstrated experience leading multiple engineering teams or a multi team organization
• Hands on background with MIL STD 1553 and/or MIL STD 1760 interfaces
• Familiarity with air to air weapons and logical Interface Control Documents
• Experience integrating weapons, payloads, or avionics onto aircraft
• Experience with weapon or tactical datalinks
• Experience owning staffing, hiring, and resourcing decisions for an engineering organization
• Experience managing customer, contractor, and supplier relationships on integration programs, including commercial and technical scope
• 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 percent)
• U.S. Person status (citizenship or lawful permanent residency) required for ITAR and export controlled work
• Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Top Secret clearance

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience leading weaponization or special mission unit platform conversion programs
• Familiarity with air to ground weapon systems (for example Hellfire, Hydra 70), Air Launched Effects, and laser target designation systems
• Software programming or embedded systems experience (C++, MATLAB, Python, PERL scripting, etc.)
• Experience owning safe separation and airworthiness certification strategy at a program level
• Working knowledge of MOSA/WOSA open architecture standards and their application across multi team portfolios
• Familiarity with MBSE tooling and digital engineering practices (SysML, Cameo, Jama, or similar)
• Experience in NX/Teamcenter or Solidworks
• Understanding of manufacturing methods (machining, sheet metal, composites, 3D printing, injection molding, composite lamination)
• Track record building and scaling engineering teams in a fast paced defense program environment

US Salary Range

$191,000 - $253,000 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:

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 .