Technical Program Manager, Thunder

Anduril Industries; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 129,000 - 171,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

Retirement plans

Paid time off

Professional development

Job summary

Anduril Industries is looking for a Technical Program Manager in Costa Mesa to lead complex engineering teams. This role involves full lifecycle management of technical initiatives, ensuring engineering alignment and program execution across diverse teams.

Successful candidates will hold a degree in Engineering and have over 5 years of relevant experience, particularly in aerospace or defense environments. The position offers competitive benefits alongside a salary range of $129,000—$171,000 USD.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in engineering, systems integration, or technical program management.
• Strong understanding of aerospace or defense systems.
• Ability to inspire and guide teams.

Responsibilities

• Organize and manage technical program governance artifacts.
• Lead cross-functional program teams to deliver capabilities.
• Identify technical and operational risks.

Skills

Technical program management

Systems integration

Requirements verification

Engineering leadership

Education

B.S. in Engineering or equivalent

Tools

JIRA

Confluence

Job description

About The Job

Anduril is seeking a Technical Program Manager 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 develop perception, autonomy, and command and control (C2) systems to solve some of the hardest problems facing our customers.

What You’ll Do

• Organize and manage technical program governance artifacts including program Jira construct, integrated master schedule, program master plan (PMP), system requirements and ICD’s.
• Lead an integrated, cross‑functional program team of hardware, software, and systems engineers to deliver capability that exceeds customer expectations.
• Spearhead cross‑functional workflows, partnering directly with air vehicle external development partners to drive engineering alignment.
• Own the entire lifecycle of technical initiatives, from defining requirements with leads and creating project plans to final deployment and integration on helicopter platforms.
• Partner deeply with engineering leaders to drive program execution, unblock technical challenges, and accelerate cross‑team projects.
• Deeply understand mission requirements and master technical concepts to identify key dependencies, trade‑offs, and risks related to airborne sensor integration and data fusion.
• Proactively identify potential technical and operational risks, develop mitigation plans, and drive issues to resolution before they become blockers.
• Foster a culture of extreme ownership and a bias toward action within the program team.

Required Qualifications

• B.S. in Electrical, Computer, Aerospace, Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent.
• 5+ years of relevant industry experience in engineering, systems integration, or technical program management.
• Demonstrated experience executing program management or engineering responsibilities for sophisticated hardware and software systems.
• Strong understanding of systems engineering, environmental considerations, and requirements verification and validation, particularly for aerospace or defense applications.
• Proven experience delivering complex solutions in highly regulated environments (e.g., DoD).
• Ability to inspire and guide teams, build consensus, and influence without direct authority.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a U.S. Security Clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven experience leading multi‑disciplinary engineering teams to the successful completion of projects.
• Strong technical aptitude and an ability to understand technical designs, software development lifecycles, challenges, and risks.
• Practical familiarity with both Agile and Waterfall methodologies and an ability to apply them where best suited.
• Experience with tools like JIRA and Confluence.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical issues into non‑technical terms.

US Salary Range: $129,000—$171,000 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 work experience, education, training, critical skills, and 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 health coverage, retirement plans, paid time off, professional development, and more.