UAV Operator

Anduril Industries, Inc.; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 113,000 - 155,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits package

Competitive equity grants

Job summary

Anduril Industries, Inc. is seeking a skilled technical operations team member in Costa Mesa, California, to support autonomy-enabled UAV programs. You will ensure mission success and support ground operations, leveraging your technical expertise.

The role emphasizes field experience and the ability to manage operations effectively. A bachelor's degree in aerospace or related fields is preferred, and salary ranges from $113,000 to $155,000 USD. Anduril offers competitive benefits and equity grants.

Qualifications

• Extensive technical experience relevant to operations.
• Prior military or defense contractor experience.
• Experience solving complex system problems.

Responsibilities

• Support autonomy-enabled UAV operations.
• Stand up forward-deployed operations.
• Participate in vehicle autonomy development.

Skills

Hands-on technical experience

Field operations experience

Understanding of flight operations

Problem-solving in unstructured situations

Cross-functional teamwork

Data-driven root cause analysis

IP networking knowledge

Training abilities

Education

Bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering or related discipline

Tools

Python

MATLAB

SATCOM systems

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 real‑time, 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 ROLE

As a member of the Maneuver Dominance Technical Operations team, you will serve as a bridge between product engineering and deployed operations for autonomy‑enabled UAVs. You will practice extreme ownership of all dependencies to ensure that Anduril’s growing suite of capabilities achieve total mission success in austere, remote environments. To this end, you will be embedded within an air vehicle development program where you will leverage your operations and technical expertise to shape and deploy a solution of maximum effectiveness and reliability. Your scope will include standing up forward‑deployed operations in austere environments, ensuring the successful combat employment of Anduril products, and shaping the long‑term sustainment of these products. In addition, you will be a core participant in supporting the development of vehicle autonomy by supporting test events and customer demonstrations closer to home.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Extensive hands‑on (field operations, manufacturing, or test) technical experience
• Prior military or defense contractor experience as a manned or unmanned pilot/operator, network technician, or crew chief/maintainer (avionics, GNC, electrical)
• Demonstrated understanding of flight operations, aircraft systems, and sensors
• Demonstrated ability to solve problems in unstructured situations at the interface of hardware, software, and operations in pursuit of mission success
• Experience working with cross‑functional engineering teams and external customers; demonstrated ability to collect differing opinions and reconcile them to achieve agreement on what “right” looks like
• Experience performing data‑driven root cause analysis on complex systems using logs as a source of truth
• Intermediate to advanced understanding and experience for some or all of the following:
  • Computers – comfortable in a terminal environment, server management, developing or interacting with programming languages (e.g. Python, Rust, MATLAB)
  • IP networking – network administration or design, strong troubleshooting experience required
  • Radios – MANET, SATCOM, backhaul systems
• Demonstrated ability to train peers or customers on the operation of a product
• Must have prior, operationally relevant, deployment experience
• Willingness to travel up to 80 % including occasional deployments for up to two months at a time
• Able to work extended hours as required
• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Top Secret security clearance
• Able to meet health and medical requirements in advance of deployments in accordance with DFARS 252.225‑7040, DoDI 3020.41, and/or any additional requirements outlined by region or supporting force, as applicable

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering or related discipline
• Hands‑on professional experience working with developmental weapon or missile systems on manned and/or unmanned aircraft
• Experience with one or more of the following:
  • Autonomy – behavior trees, CV models, multi‑vehicle operation
  • Ground‑based air defense systems, either sensors or effectors
  • Operations and maintenance of air‑breathing propulsion systems
  • Aircraft or launch vehicle flight line operations
  • Munitions storage and handling controls

US Salary Range

$113,000 – $155,000 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.

EEO STATEMENT

As set forth in Anduril Industries’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.