Deputy Chief Engineer, Autonomous Airpower

andurilindustries

Costa Mesa, California, United States · Costa Mesa · United States

Posted Feb 25, 2026

Full-time
Air Dominance & Strike : Autonomous Airpower Engineering : Chief Engineering

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.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Own vehicle subsystems / design scope from conceptual design phase through detailed design, build, test and productionization.
Establish program plan/vision and communicate to team while ensuring they stay on track
Coordinate and execute design level trades working with various functional engineering teams
Incorporate expert knowledge of first principles aircraft design, design standards, system safety, test methodology and risk reduction across team.
Establish requirements, design review entrance/exit criteria, etc.
Own interfaces between subsystems
Manage technical and programmatic risks for systems you are responsible for.
Negotiate workflows with functional engineering leaders
Develop budgetary estimates and schedules working with functional engineering teams
Develop staffing estimates, and work with functional engineering and operations teams to recruit top talent and integrate them into the team.
Monitor budget and schedule performance to ensure appropriate performance.
Coordinate transitions between engineering and manufacturing, test, and production

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Experience developing, building, and testing large aircraft subsystems.
7+ years of technical engineering experience in a professional environment
Strong oral and written communication skills
Experience leading technical new start development projects.
Must be able to obtain and hold a U.S. security clearance
Aerospace, Electrical, Mechanical or Software Engineering Degree

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Aviation passion demonstrated through FAA pilots license, Airframe and Powerplant license, Experimental Aircraft/Homebuilding etc.
Demonstrated ability to take designs from concept to flight.
Unmanned aircraft development experience
Strong hands on technical skills - both professional and hobby

US Salary Range

$191,000—$253,000 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

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.

Protecting Yourself from Recruitment Scams

Anduril is committed to maintaining the integrity of our Talent acquisition process and the security of our candidates. We've observed a rise in sophisticated phishing and fraudulent schemes where individuals impersonate Anduril representatives, luring job seekers with false interviews or job offers. These scammers often attempt to extract payment or sensitive personal information.

To ensure your safety and help you navigate your job search with confidence, please keep the following critical points in mind:

No Financial Requests: Anduril will never solicit payment or demand personal financial details (such as banking information, credit card numbers, or social security numbers) at any stage of our hiring process. Our legitimate recruitment is entirely free for candidates.
Please always verify communications:
- Direct from Anduril: If you receive an email from one of our recruiters, it will only come from an @anduril.com address.
- Via Agency Partner: If contacted by a recruiting agency for an Anduril role, their email will clearly identify their agency. If you suspect any suspicious activity, please verify the agency's authenticity by reaching out to contact@anduril.com.
Exercise Caution with Unsolicited Outreach: If you receive any communication that appears suspicious, contains grammatical errors, or makes unusual requests, do not engage. Always confirm the sender's email domain is @anduril.com before providing any personal information or clicking on links.
What to Do If You Suspect Fraud: Should you encounter any questionable or fraudulent outreach claiming to be from Anduril, please report it immediately to contact@anduril.com. Your proactive caution is invaluable in protecting your personal information and upholding the security and trustworthiness of our recruitment efforts.

Data Privacy

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

By submitting your application, you consent to Anduril Industries using a third-party service provider to conduct pre-employment risk, integrity, and due diligence screening and assessing potential risks as part of your application process. This third-party service provider provides risk-intelligence services that may include analysis of sanctions and watchlists, adverse media, public-record information, and other lawful open-source or commercial data sources. This third-party service provider does not act as a consumer reporting agency. Use of this provider helps to ensure compliance with applicable laws and protect technology, intellectual property, and organizational security.