Program Director, Advanced Effects

andurilindustries

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

Posted Apr 17, 2026

Full-time
Air Dominance & Strike : Advanced Effects 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.

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Air Dominance and Strike Division is one of Anduril’s fastest growing, most technically complex divisions. We develop and build collaborative combat aircraft, missiles, and the software that powers these autonomous weapons. We are looking for a Program Director to lead one of Anduril’s largest development programs across various stages of the contract lifecycle from early R&D to contract capture and close. As a Program Director you will lead the development and integration of Anduril products and technologies alongside the Chief Engineer and will be directly responsible for all elements of cost and schedule to ensure successful delivery of the program.

ABOUT THE JOB

Success in this position hinges on three key facets:

Systems and engineering mindset - the ability to understand and assess technical concept. Identifying system dependencies, interfaces, technical risks and the impact of key architectural decisions with the engineering team.
Execution focused - digging into the details, charting the path and owning the outcome. You will be expected to utilize your technical aptitude in conjunction with your program management, and leadership skills to deliver the best outcome for Anduril and the customer.
Collaborative partnership - managing customer relationships and shaping the future of the program with the government.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

In partnership with the Chief Engineer, own the development and deployment of Anduril’s Air Dominance & Strike technologies to meet the operational needs of the Department of Defense
Develop strong, trusting relationships with Anduril’s DOD customers, ensuring we have tight feedback loops that enable us shape solutions, rapidly iterate, and ultimately field solutions faster
Autonomously execute on broad and/or ambiguous requirements from internal engineering, customers, and third party corporate partners to own successful delivery of outcomes on multiple programs simultaneously
Monitor and manage program progress across cost, schedule, and resource allocation, making tradeoffs that enable us to deliver best-in-class solutions to our customers on-time and on-budget
Develop and implement lightweight processes, tools, and metrics for program planning, scope management, risk management, and customer communication to enable Anduril to move rapidly
Be high ownership on all pieces of work and become a trusted partner and advisor to Anduril’s engineers
Foster a creative, high-performance culture within the team, and proactively assess team skills versus needs, identifying personnel development or recruitment opportunities to strengthen the team’s capabilities
Collaborate with finance and business development teams to develop novel pricing strategies for proposals that set Anduril up for long term financial and operational success
Collaborate with senior management to develop and refine the strategic roadmap for Anduril Air Dominance & Strike R&D investments that underpin the success of our programs

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Top Secret security clearance
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field (technical background preferred)
Minimum of 8 years experience managing the development of complex technical systems throughout the product lifecycle
Proven track record of successfully managing complex, multi-million-dollar projects and driving their on-time, on-budget completion
Strong strategic thinking, analytical, and problem-solving abilities with the ability to move seamlessly between tactical and the 30,000 ft level
Experience coordinating multiple internal and external teams within a complex engineering or technology-focused organization
Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to present complex information clearly and concisely to diverse audiences

US Salary Range

$220,000—$292,000 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.