Staff Technical Program Manager

Anduril Industries; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 191,000 - 254,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity grants

Competitive benefits

Job summary

Anduril Industries seeks a Staff Technical Program Manager to lead hardware design and development across Connected Warfare programs. You will coordinate with engineering, product, business, and government stakeholders to deliver innovative, production-ready solutions while navigating defense sector requirements.

Ideal candidates have 8+ years in hardware program leadership, strong systems engineering background, and experience with wearable/helmet-integrated platforms.

Qualifications

• 8+ years managing complex hardware development programs.
• 8+ years in TPM/PM/Engineering roles in A&D or commercial tech.
• Experience wearable near-eye display systems, head-mounted devices, AR/VR or helmet platforms.
• End-to-end hardware device development across the full PDLC lifecycle.
• Strong hardware & software systems engineering background; budget management.
• Exceptional organizational and communication skills; translate technical issues to business impact.
• Experience leading hardware product or subsystem development.
• Vendor sourcing and management experience.

Responsibilities

• Program Management: align schedules, manage timelines, allocate resources for production-quality delivery.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: liaison between research, engineering, product, and external stakeholders.
• Technical Expertise: understand architecture and regulatory standards (ITAR, RMF).
• Risk Management: identify and mitigate technical, schedule, and compliance risks.
• Stakeholder Management: manage relationships with suppliers, customers, government agencies; deliver updates and briefs.
• Process Improvement: refine processes to improve execution in a startup defense environment.

Skills

Program Management

Cross-functional Collaboration

Hardware Development

End-to-end PDLC

Systems Engineering

Communication Skills

Vendor Management

Travel Willingness

Clearance Eligibility

Education

Advanced Engineering Degree

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 Connected Warfare Division is integrating advanced computing, AI-driven decision-making, and warfighter-centric technology into a single, cohesive ecosystem to revolutionize modern combat. We create joint, time-sensitive, multi-domain, connected mesh systems that serve as the substrate providing the source of truth for critical decisions. This ecosystem enables connected warfare with disproportional impact by connecting every robot, human, and sensor in every domain, bringing together hundreds of thousands of endpoints across the globe.

One of the three business lines is Warfighter Systems, which brings cutting-edge technology directly to those on the frontlines. Our flagship Eagle Eye headset and integrated helmet system exemplifies this approach, leveraging best-in‑class commercial partnerships to enhance soldier capabilities. Wearable tech, immersive mission command tools, and seamlessly integrated software and hardware create an ecosystem that improves situational awareness, survivability, and combat effectiveness. From training to battlefield operations, Anduril's Warfighter Systems designs tools that move at the speed of war, ensuring that soldiers are better connected, more lethal, and more resilient.

About The Job

We’re seeking a Staff Technical Program Manager to drive hardware design and development efforts across several of Connected Warfare’s largest programs. This role requires a unique blend of technical expertise, program management experience, customer focus, and an understanding of the defense sector and military systems. You will work closely with engineering, product, business, and government stakeholders to deliver innovative solutions that meet the needs of our customers and partners.

What You'll Do

• Program Management: Align program schedules, manage timelines, and allocate resources to ensure successful delivery and production-quality. Balance competing priorities across multiple products and programs in a fast-paced, startup environment.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Serve as the primary liaison between research, engineering teams, product management, and external stakeholders—including defense contractors and government entities. Align cross-functional teams on their goals, dependencies, and deliverables. Drive effective communication and collaboration across distributed teams and locations.
• Technical Expertise: Understand the architecture, dependencies, and technical challenges of defense-related systems. Support engineering teams in resolving technical issues, making trade-offs to meet division objectives. Ensure compliance with industry standards and government regulations, such as ITAR and RMF.
• Risk Management: Identify and mitigate risks proactively, including technical, schedule, and compliance-related risks. Monitor dependencies, anticipate bottlenecks, and adjust plans as needed to maintain program momentum.
• Stakeholder Management: Manage relationships with key suppliers, customers, partners, and government agencies, ensuring program alignment with contractual obligations and stakeholder expectations. Prepare and deliver clear program updates, technical briefs, and performance reports for internal and external audiences.
• Process Improvement: Implement and refine processes to enhance program execution and efficiency within a startup environment. Leverage best practices in program management while adapting to the unique challenges of the defense sector. Cultivate knowledge management repositories and CI/CD pipelines to build processes that result in production-quality engineering deliverables.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 8+ years managing complex hardware development programs through all phases of the hardware development cycle
• At least 8+ years as Technical Program Manager, Product Manager, Engineering Manager, or Engineer for a commercial technology or aerospace and defense company
• Hands‑on experience leading development of wearable, near‑eye display systems, including head‑mounted devices, AR/VR systems, or helmet‑integrated platforms
• Proven experience leading end‑to‑end hardware device development across the full product development lifecycle (PDLC)—from concept and architecture definition through production validation and field deployment.
• Strong technical background with familiarity in hardware and software systems engineering, managing engineering budgets and tradeoffs to optimize across a complex system
• Exceptional organizational and communication skills with the ability to translate complex technical issues into clear business‑impacting insights
• Experience leading the full development lifecycle of a hardware product or a critical hardware subsystem
• Proven experience in component sourcing and vendor management
• Willingness to travel as needed (up to 25%)
• Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a clearance

Preferred Qualifications

• Ability to work within organizations with minimal structure and with minimal direction, creating clarity from ambiguity
• Proven track record in designing and implementing best practices that drive operational efficiency and sustainable growth in nascent technologies and businesses
• Strong technical, analytical and quantitative skills with the ability to use data and metrics to back up assumptions, recommendations and drive decisions
• Familiarity with a defense industry compliance, and reporting requirements
• Advanced Degree in an Engineering discipline

US Salary Range

$191,000—$254,000 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.

For more information, Explore Our Benefits.