UAV Operator, Maneuver Dominance

Anduril; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 113,000 - 149,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans

Life and disability insurance

Generous PTO plans

Family planning and parenting support

Mental health resources

Professional development reimbursement

Company-funded commuter benefits

Relocation assistance

Job summary

A cutting-edge defense technology firm in California is seeking a skilled individual to join their Maneuver Dominance Technical Operations team. The role involves bridging product engineering and operations for UAVs, requiring technical expertise in various systems and a commitment to mission success in challenging environments. Candidates must bring significant hands-on experience, especially in defense contexts, along with strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work in cross-functional teams. A bachelor's degree in a related field is preferred, offering a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.

Qualifications

• Extensive hands-on experience in field operations, manufacturing, or testing.
• Must have prior military or defense contractor experience.
• Demonstrated ability to solve problems in unstructured situations.
• Intermediate to advanced understanding of programming and networking.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a bridge between product engineering and deployed operations.
• Ensure successful combat employment of products in austere environments.
• Support development of vehicle autonomy in test events and demonstrations.

Skills

Field operations experience

Technical problem solving

Cross-functional teamwork

Root cause analysis

Coding (Python, Rust, MATLAB)

IP Networking

Radio systems knowledge

Training capability

Education

Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering or related discipline

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 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 in order 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:
  • 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 — $149,000 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:

Benefits

• 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 (e.g., IVF, preservation), 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.
  • Relocation Assistance: Available depending on role eligibility.
• 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.

The recruiter assigned to this role can share more information about the specific compensation and benefit details associated with this role during the hiring process.

To view Anduril's candidate data privacy policy, please visit https://anduril.com/applicant-privacy-notice/.