Technical Operations Engineer

Anduril Industries, Inc.; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 146,000 - 193,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare benefits including medical, dental, and vision

Income protection through life and disability insurance

Generous PTO and mental health resources

Job summary

A leading defense technology firm is seeking a Technical Operations Engineer for their Anvil product. This role involves bridging product engineering with deployed operations and requires strong problem-solving skills in challenging environments. Candidates should have a solid understanding of flight operations and be willing to travel extensively, including to hazardous locations. Competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits package are offered, including top-tier healthcare and retirement savings plans.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in problem solving in unstructured environments.
• Understanding of flight operations, aircraft systems, and sensors.
• Willingness to travel up to 80%, including to hazard zones.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a Subject Matter Expert on the product.
• Advise internal and customer teams on operational employment.
• Conduct post-incident reviews and implement preventive measures.

Skills

Problem solving in unstructured environments

Mechanical aptitude for troubleshooting

Flight operations understanding

Teamwork and independent work

Communication skills

Education

Degree in aerospace engineering, computer science, mechanical engineering or related field

Job description

About The Team

The Tactical Recon & Strike (TRS) team at Anduril develops small aerial drones (Group 1-3) along with all the necessary equipment for testing, deployment, and operation. The team transforms products like Ghost, Anvil, Altius, and Bolt from initial concepts into operational systems. We work closely with specialized teams to tackle some of our customers' most complex challenges. Currently, we are seeking a Technical Operations Engineer lead for our Anvil product, where you will leverage your operational and technical expertise to shape and deploy a solution of maximum effectiveness and reliability. Your scope will include directly integrating with the product team to help drive system improvements, as well as deploying to austere and hazardous locations to support the operational employment and long-term sustainment of our Anvil products.

About The Job

As a member of the Technical Operations team for TRS, you will play a critical role in bridging product engineering and deployed operations. You will be involved in unmanned air vehicle development programs, using your technical and operational expertise to deliver reliable solutions in challenging, remote environments. As the lead Technical Operations Engineer for Anvil, you will be uniquely positioned to be an individual contributor across the entirety of the Anvil portfolio, with the opportunity to grow your team as the product scales. You will be the primary point of contact for all Anvil field events and demos, helping to develop plans for success that meet the specific goals of each customer, while also travelling to support as needed.

What You’ll Do

• Serve as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) on the product. Assist in event planning and resource allocation, keeping key stakeholders informed about support requirements to reduce risk and ensure success.
• Advise internal and customer teams on operational employment and best practices.
• Tackle complex issues related to hardware, software, and networking in unstructured situations, driving them to resolution.
• Support military aviation and customer support projects by executing flight operations, conducting field maintenance, providing customer field support and training.
• Communicate field issue status to internal and customer teams, keeping them informed.
• Support the development and implementation of comprehensive operational and logistical plans for feature updates on the overall system.
• Incident response root-cause analyses (RCAs) for air systems in the field
• Conduct post-incident reviews and implement preventive measures

Required Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience of strong problem solving in unstructured environments at the interface of hardware, software, and networking.
• Strong mechanical aptitude to troubleshoot and repair critical site product components and infrastructure.
• Demonstrated understanding of flight operations, aircraft systems, and sensors
• Willingness to work with energetic material (warheads).
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently or collaboratively in a team.
• Willingness to travel up to 80%, including to hazard zones
• Eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. Top Secret/Secret security clearance
• This position is based in Costa Mesa, CA, and is not eligible for remote or hybrid work

Preferred Qualifications

• Degree in aerospace engineering, computer science, mechanical engineering, or related field
• Experience with weapon systems for manned aircraft, UAS, or missiles
• Experience with munitions live fire testing or munitions handling
• Experience with VTOL quad copter air systems
• Demonstrated coding experience in Linux or similar programming languages
• Background in military deployments with Special Operations Forces, or to hazard zones.

Salary and Benefits

US Salary Range: $146,000 - $193,000 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 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. Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including:

Healthcare Benefits

• US Roles: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans at little to no cost to you.
• UK & AUS Roles: We cover full cost of medical insurance premiums for you and your dependents.
• IE Roles: We offer an annual contribution toward your private health insurance for you and your dependents.

Additional Benefits

• Income Protection: Anduril covers life and disability insurance for all employees.
• Generous time off: Highly competitive PTO plans with a holiday hiatus in December. Caregiver & Wellness Leave is available to care for family members, bond with a new baby, or address your own medical needs.
• Family Planning & Parenting Support: Coverage for fertility treatments, adoption, and gestational carriers, along with resources to support you and your partner from planning to parenting.
• Mental Health Resources: Access free mental health resources 24/7, including therapy and life coaching. Additional work-life services, such as legal and financial support, are also available.
• Professional Development: Annual reimbursement for professional development
• Commuter Benefits: Company-funded commuter benefits based on your region.

Retirement Savings Plan

• US Roles: Traditional 401(k), Roth, and after-tax (mega backdoor Roth) options.
• UK & IE Roles: Pension plan with employer match.
• AUS Roles: Superannuation plan.