Chief Engineer, Fury Aircraft Development
Anduril · Costa Mesa, United States · 6mo ago
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 (AD&S) Chief Engineering Team is the technical authority for our most critical programs. They are responsible for owning the technical baseline, leading multi-disciplinary engineering teams through rigorous development and flight test, and delivering revolutionary air systems that meet the mission. They are the ultimate problem-solvers, driving technical execution from architecture to operational demonstration.
ABOUT THE JOB
As the Chief Engineer for Fury, you will own the technical execution of a high-performance unmanned aircraft system as it progresses through the heart of its Engineering & Manufacturing Development (EMD). You will lead a multi-disciplinary team of engineers to finalize the detailed design, oversee the fabrication and integration of prototype vehicles, and guide the program through a comprehensive flight test campaign. Your primary mission is to mature the Fury platform from its current state of "design and test heritage" into a fully validated and performance-verified system, ready for a clean handoff to our production team.
This role requires a leader who thrives in a fast-paced development environment, making critical technical trade-offs across all aircraft disciplines. You will leverage your deep experience in aircraft development and systems integration to drive technical decisions, manage risk, and lead the team to a successful flight-proven design.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
- Lead Technical Execution: Own the technical baseline and lead a multi-disciplinary engineering team (aerodynamics, structures, GNC, propulsion, avionics, software) through detailed design, system integration, and verification.
- Oversee Prototype Build & Integration: Coordinate the fabrication and assembly of prototype and development articles, resolving engineering challenges that arise during the build process.
- Drive the Test Campaign: Lead the engineering team in planning and executing a comprehensive test program, including ground test, SIL/HIL integration, and developmental flight test, to validate performance and expand the operational envelope.
- Manage System Design & Architecture: Guide the team through critical design trades, sub-system optimization, and interface management to ensure a cohesive and high-performance air vehicle architecture.
- Ensure Airworthiness & Safety: Serve as the technical authority for system safety and partner with test teams to develop the data and artifacts required to achieve military flight releases.
- Problem Solve & Troubleshoot: Act as the lead technical problem-solver, driving root cause analysis and implementing effective solutions for issues discovered during integration and testing.
- Prepare for Production: Partner with the manufacturing engineering team to ensure the design is production-ready (DFM/DFA) and support a clean transition to low-rate production.
- Support deployed flight test and demonstration activities at customer and test sites.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience as a Chief Engineer, Integrated Product Team (IPT) Lead, or senior technical leader on a full air vehicle development program.
- Deep, hands-on experience leading a multi-disciplinary team through at least one major phase of aircraft EMD (e.g., detailed design, prototype build, or flight test).
- Proven track record of taking a complex aircraft system from design into build and successful flight testing.
- Strong technical foundation across multiple core aircraft disciplines (e.g., aerodynamics, structures, GNC, propulsion, systems integration).
- Experience with developmental flight test, including test planning, risk management, and data analysis.
- Strong understanding of the "why" behind Vehicle and Systems design.
- Experience working on mission-critical DoD or advanced development aircraft programs.
- Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, or a related engineering field.
- Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Direct experience leading the development of unmanned aircraft (UAS) at Group 3 or above.
- Experience as the technical authority for a "clean-sheet" or major modification aircraft program.
- Hands-on leadership in a fast-paced, agile, or startup aerospace development environment.
- Experience with military airworthiness certification processes (e.g., MIL-HDBK-516).
- Background in advanced or classified aircraft development (e.g., Skunk Works, Phantom Works, or similar).
- An active Top Secret security clearance.
Per Anduril's expansion plans, we anticipate this job will be based out of Long Beach, CA beginning late 2027.
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.
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