Open as of August 17, 2026

Lead Manufacturing Engineer

andurilindustriesSanta Ana, California, United States

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 Intelligence Systems is seeking a Lead Manufacturing Engineer to join our team and lead the manufacturing process development for our products. The Manufacturing Team is responsible for rapidly iterating and building cutting-edge defense hardware, including static equipment, moving ground equipment, and complex vehicles. This responsibility includes everything in the manufacturing value-chain including, but not limited to, Design for Manufacturability, tool design & selection, process creation & optimization, vendor sourcing & interaction, quality planning, and work documentation associated with the hardware.

ABOUT THE JOB:

As a Lead Manufacturing Engineering, you will be responsible for leading a manufacturing engineering team over a set of Anduril’s products to drive process improvements, ensure the highest quality of production, and support the development and implementation of new products. The diverse responsibilities of this role will require you to leverage your technical expertise as well as leadership skills to set objectives, build cross-functional teams, and drive rapid project execution. You will play a crucial role in optimizing manufacturing processes, reducing costs, and increasing efficiencies on existing technologies while also developing new products and scaling to full scale production.

The right person for this role can demonstrate past holistic ownership on solving a technical challenge with a creative, physical, solution that they either personally manufactured or oversaw manufacturing on, in a fast-paced, resource-limited environment. If you are someone who thrives in such an environment, then this role is for you.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Execute the manufacturing of a certain product or set of products, from initial prototyping through full-scale production.
Lead a team responsible for delivering on-time completion of development and production units within a product group.
Work with design engineers during the development process to drive design for manufacturing best practices into the design effort, and help facilitate the transition from design to prototype to rate production.
Own documentation required for successfully manufacturing product group hardware at scale, such as MBOM’s, work instructions & requirements, etc.
Uphold and advise on quality management and business application programs as they pertain to manufacturing within your area.
Facilitate make versus buy decisions, and coordinate with internal supply chain teams to manage vendors to ensure quality deliveries on time.
Collaborate with internal customers and manufacturing planning teams to define capacity planning actions to meet customer needs and expectations.
Analyze metrics for continuous improvement initiatives (cost reduction, QI reduction & capacity increase).
Instill a culture of innovation, teamwork, and accountability within the manufacturing engineering product team.
Develop production and test methodologies and implement best practices to enable scaling production capabilities for larger, more complex products.
Travel to suppliers and partner sites to do initial sourcing work, solve ongoing production issues, and implement process procedures as required.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related technical field.
8+ years of experience in manufacturing process development, preferably in a high-reliability industry.
Demonstrated expertise in creating clear, detailed work instructions and manufacturing process documentation.
Experience optimizing manual assembly operations and establishing standardized work.
Proven ability to analyze and improve manufacturing processes using lean manufacturing principles.
Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills with ability to implement effective solutions quickly.
A genuine interest in manufacturing and thirst for learning.
Proficiency with CAD software for creating assembly documentation and tooling design.
Excellent communication skills and ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams.
Experience with manufacturing execution systems and digital work instructions.
Familiarity with Statistical Process Control (SPC) and capability studies.
Knowledge of Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA) principles.
Currently possesses and is able to maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Experience in defense, aerospace, or other high-reliability manufacturing environments.
Harness & PCBA fabrication experience including prior work with or setup/modification/monitoring SMT processes.
Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.
Software scripting experience in any language.

US Salary Range

$129,000—$171,000 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.