Manufacturing Engineer, Autonomous Airpower
Anduril · Costa Mesa, United States · 17h 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 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 scaling production of autonomous aircraft across our manufacturing facilities. Manufacturing Engineering drives process development, production readiness, and the transition from prototype to rate — ensuring that what Design engineers create can be built reliably, repeatedly, and at scale.
ABOUT THE JOB
Anduril is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer to join the Autonomous Airpower manufacturing team in Costa Mesa, California. You will support the manufacturing value chain for autonomous aircraft hardware — helping build the processes, documentation, and production capabilities that take hardware from design to the factory floor. This role spans the full breadth of manufacturing engineering disciplines and may focus on one or more of the following areas depending on your background: structures and composites, mechanical systems (landing gear, doors, actuators), fluid systems (hydraulic, fuel, pneumatic), propulsion integration, avionics, or harnessing and electrical integration.
This is a hands-on role for someone with a few years of manufacturing experience who is ready to take on more responsibility. You will work alongside senior manufacturing engineers, design engineers, and production technicians to build real aircraft hardware and develop the processes that make it repeatable. You will independently modify and improve manufacturing processes, analyze production data to drive decisions, and contribute to process documentation with increasing ownership. If you want to be on the floor as much as at your desk, this is it.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
- Support the manufacturing value chain for assigned aircraft subsystems or assemblies — contributing to process development, work instruction authoring, and production support
- Independently modify and enhance manufacturing processes to improve efficiency and quality metrics on the production line
- Author and maintain work instructions, quality plans, and inspection documentation with guidance from senior MEs
- Analyze production data to identify trends and recommend data-driven process adjustments that reduce cycle times and increase throughput
- Provide DFM/DFA input to design engineering — learning to identify manufacturability issues early and communicate them effectively
- Support production builds on the floor — troubleshooting issues with technicians, documenting lessons learned, and iterating on processes
- Develop and document standardized procedures that enhance manufacturing consistency and quality across build sequences
- Assist with tooling definition and work with tooling engineers to validate fixtures and jigs for production use
- Participate in root cause analysis for manufacturing non-conformances and help drive corrective actions
- Support manufacturing BOM development and maintain accurate production documentation in PLM/ERP systems
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
- 2+ years of manufacturing engineering experience in aerospace, defense, or complex hardware production environments
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, Electrical or Industrial Engineering or equivalent hands-on manufacturing experience
- Foundational understanding of manufacturing processes — machining, assembly, composites, or electrical integration
- Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, specifications, and CAD models
- Experience analyzing production data and recommending process improvements
- Willingness to work hands-on in a production environment alongside technicians
- Strong communication skills — able to document processes clearly and work across engineering and production teams
- Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Hands-on experience supporting production or prototype builds on a factory floor in aerospace or defense
- Exposure to one or more of the following: composite structures, mechanical systems, fluid systems, propulsion, avionics integration, or wire harness manufacturing
- Experience with CAD tools (CATIA, SolidWorks, NX, or equivalent)
- Experience with aircraft, UAV, or autonomous vehicle assembly
- Familiarity with Lean manufacturing concepts or structured problem-solving methods
- Familiarity with PLM/ERP systems (Teamcenter, SAP, Oracle, or similar)
- Active U.S. Secret security clearance
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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