Chief Engineer, Maneuver Dominance
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.
WHY WE'RE HERE:
The Maneuver Dominance (MD) Team at Anduril develops aerial robotic systems designed to operate in large coordinated teams. We leverage existing Anduril drone platforms like Ghost, Altius, or Roadrunner, in addition to bringing 3rd party platforms into Anduril’s Lattice ecosystem. We develop perception and autonomy algorithms to solve some of the hardest problems facing our customers.As the Senior Technical Director for the Maneuver Dominance Division, you will be tasked with the critical mission of guiding the technical direction of innovative aerial platforms. Your expertise will be fundamental in ensuring that our projects align with market-driven capabilities and meet the highest standards of performance and reliability.
WHAT YOU'LL DO:
- Drive the technical strategy and execution of key programs from concept through development, integration, testing, and deployment.
- Provide leadership within the MD Leadership Team, offering strategic insights into customer needs, resource management, and clear communication.
- Actively engage with hardware, product, and test operations teams to support integrated solutions and collaborative problem-solving while drawing from the broader Anduril-portfolio of capabilities to implement mission-driven solutions.
- Establish and maintain trust with teammates, vendors, partners, and customers, ensuring effective stakeholder engagement and meticulous project follow-through. Success will hinge on inter-departmental coordination across Anduril to ensure successful program resourcing and ultimately, execution.
- Develop and sustain customer relationships in collaboration with the Growth team, identifying and capitalizing on new opportunities for expansion.
- Exhibit full ownership of projects, fostering trust as a reliable technical point of contact for government partners and internal engineering teams.
- Lead cross-functional team efforts, resolving obstacles, optimizing workflows, and maintaining momentum on key initiatives.
- Leverage technical expertise to guide system architecture decisions, assess alternatives, and provide clarity on project priorities.
- Independently handle broad or unclear project requirements, ensuring successful outcomes by effectively managing internal and external partnerships.
- Plan and oversee comprehensive test events, including software simulations and hardware-in-the-loop demonstrations, to validate system performance.
- Prepare to transition into a future leadership role overseeing the full development lifecycle of air vehicles, ensuring alignment with technical and mission objectives.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
The ideal candidate will possess a blend of technical acumen and strategic insight, coupled with a history of managing intricate aerospace endeavors. Your leadership will be instrumental in propelling the Maneuver Dominance Division to new heights, delivering unparalleled solutions to our defense partners.
- Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineer, Robotics, Physics , or related technical discipline.
- Minimum of 5 years in leadership roles such as Technical Program Manager, Chief Engineer, or relevant position.
- Deep familiarity with unmanned aircraft, aircraft design, particularly rotorcraft, eVTOL and hybrid-electric propulsion systems.
- Experience taking aircraft from clean sheet, conceptual design through customer delivery.
- Leadership experience in engineering team management and project execution for aerospace or defense sectors.
- Expertise in product deployment and managing complex supply chains and logistics.
- Experience with flight testing and managing large-scale test programs.
- Record of delivering technology solutions to government agencies or sizable commercial firms.
- Independent working style within lean organizational structures.
- Excellent communication skills with proficiency in technical documentation and presentations.
- Solid grasp of technical designs, software development life cycles, and project management tools like JIRA and Confluence.
- Eligibility for U.S. TS/SCI security clearance and willingness to travel up to 20%, including internationally.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience with tiltrotor aircraft.
- Experience with hybrid powertrains, vehicle management systems, Fly-By-Wire, and digital controls.
- 8+ years in technical program leadership, particularly in autonomous systems, robotics, or software development.
- Customer-facing experience with high-stakes program leadership, strong interpersonal skills, and executive presence.
- Knowledge of Defense Acquisition Processes and milestone reviews.
- Experience initiating and building software delivery programs.
- Understanding of open architecture and interoperability standards (e.g., STANAG 4586, OMS/UCI, FACE).
US Salary Range
$206,000 - $309,000 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:
- Platinum Healthcare Benefits: For U.S. roles, we offer top tier platinum coverage (medical, dental, vision) that are 100% covered by Anduril for you and 90% covered for your dependents.
- For UK roles, Private Medical Insurance (PMI): Anduril will cover the full cost of the insurance premium for an employee and dependents.
- For AUS roles, Private health plan through Bupa: Coverage is fully subsidized by Anduril.
- Basic Life/AD&D and long-term disability insurance 100% covered by Anduril, plus the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your dependents.
- Extremely generous company holiday calendar including a holiday hiatus in December, and highly competitive PTO plans.
- 16 weeks of paid Caregiver & Wellness Leave to care for a family member, bond with your baby, or tend to your own medical condition.
- Family Planning & Parenting Support: Fertility (eg, IVF, preservation), adoption, and gestational carrier coverage with additional benefits and resources to provide support from planning to parenting.
- Mental Health Resources: We provide free mental health resources 24/7 including therapy, life coaching, and more. Additional work-life services, such as free legal and financial support, available to you as well.
- A professional development stipend is available to all Andurilians.
- Daily Meals and Provisions: For many of our offices this means breakfast, lunch and fully stocked micro-kitchens.
- Company-funded commuter benefits available based on your region.
- Relocation assistance (depending on role eligibility).
- 401(k) retirement savings plan - both a traditional and Roth 401(k). (US roles only)
The recruiter assigned to this role can share more information about the specific compensation and benefit details associated with this role during the hiring process.
Anduril is an equal-opportunity employer committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. The Anduril team is made up of incredibly talented and unique individuals, who together are disrupting industry norms by creating new paths towards the future of defense technology. All qualified applicants will be treated with respect and receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, uniform service, Veteran status, age, or any other protected characteristic per federal, state, or local law, including those with a criminal history, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the CA Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. We actively encourage members of recognized minorities, women, Veterans, and those with disabilities to apply, and we work to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all applicants throughout the interview process. If you are someone passionate about working on problems that have a real-world impact, we'd love to hear from you!
To view Anduril's candidate data privacy policy, please visit https://anduril.com/applicant-privacy-notice/.
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