Senior Mechanical Engineer: Optical Payload, Space

andurilindustries

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

Posted Mar 11, 2026

Full-time
AFS : Space Engineering : Space Mechanical

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

Anduril's Space team is dedicated to expanding our AI-powered capabilities into the final frontier, enhancing Space Domain Awareness, Space Control, and Command and Control for U.S. military and allied partners. We're developing fully integrated hardware and software systems, including Lattice for Space Missions and modular payloads, to address growing threats in space and ensure our Guardians maintain a decisive advantage in this contested war-fighting domain.

WHAT YOU’LL DO?

Create opto-mechanical designs of space payloads ranging from small cameras to large telescopes
Act as Responsible Engineer: conduct analyses, visit vendors and test sites, define and execute test plans, and manage subsystem interfaces
Run finite element models and hand calculations to predict stresses in mechanical and optical components
Contribute to STOP analyses to evaluate structural and thermal effects on optical performance
Conduct hand calculations and run higher order thermal analyses to evaluate survival and operational on-orbit temperatures including solar loading effects through apertures and optics
Design alignment features and conduct tolerance stack-ups enabling sub-arcsecond payload pointing and stability over large temperature ranges
Own hardware design from concept to launch, intelligently pacing design maturity with a holistic program view
Use first principles for every decision and continuously simplify designs
Communicate pros/cons of system architectures with respect to mechanical design and packaging considerations
Lead subsystem design reviews and provide clear status updates on timelines and technical progress
Build prototypes, analyze failures, and transition successful designs to flight hardware and low-rate production
Create excellent technical documentation (presentations, test plans/reports, procedures, drawings, specifications, etc.)
Mentor junior engineers

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

BS or higher degree in engineering or hard science
Ability to obtain and hold U.S. Top Secret security clearance
5+ years of mechanical design experience and demonstrated track record of success
Experience with exotic opto-mechanical materials (composites, titanium, beryllium, Invar, Zerodur, etc.)
Experience with tolerance stack-ups, mechanical alignments, kinematic mounting, and qualification test campaigns
CAD proficiency and ability to create engineering drawings meeting industry standards (GD&T)
Hands-on fabrication and assembly skills with hand tools, mill, lathe, etc.
Strong fundamentals in optics, heat transfer, statics, solid mechanics, and materials
Excellent attention to detail, highly motivated, self-starting, and autonomous
Organized with ability to define scope and requirements for ambiguous problems
Experience with high-reliability design, athermalization, and vibration/shock resistance

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Experience in NX/Teamcenter
Hands-on technical project experience (academic, extracurricular, or personal)
Parallel industry experience
Ability to integrate electronic components (PCBAs, motors, sensors) into mechanical designs
Coding experience in Python, MATLAB, or C++ for analytical models and data acquisition/automation
Structural or thermal testing experience including sensor selection, data acquisition, and post-processing (Python preferred)

US Salary Range

$166,000—$220,000 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.