Open as of August 8, 2026

Manager, CUAS Systems Safety Engineering

andurilindustriesCosta Mesa, 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's System Safety Engineering organization partners across Anduril's engineering, manufacturing, and operations organizations to ensure our autonomous systems are safe for development, testing, and deployment in complex operational environments. Our mandate spans the complete product lifecycle, from early concept design through production scale-up and fielded operations. We make our products safe by guiding product teams through safety analyses such as: Functional Hazard Analysis, Fault Trees, Hazard Management and Hazard Mitigation activities, identifying hazards early and partnering with design teams to engineer safety into hardware, software, and operations.

ABOUT THE JOB

We are seeking an experienced System Safety Engineering leader to join our rapidly growing team at Costa Mesa, CA to drive system safety excellence for our Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (CUAS) and Air Defense programs. As a System Safety leader at Anduril, you will play a critical role in developing and implementing robust safety frameworks across the air defense and counter-UAS systems within our product portfolio. Your expertise will be instrumental in guiding product teams through the System Safety lifecycle, from initial concept through qualification, production, and field deployment. You will drive continuous improvement initiatives, lead the development of risk mitigation strategies, and foster a safety culture across the organization. Leveraging your deep knowledge of system safety tools (FHA, FTA, SCFTA, SSA, FMECA, etc.) and hazard analysis methodologies, you will ensure that our systems operate safely under diverse and demanding operating conditions

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Lead and manage the performance of a team of System Safety Engineers, providing technical guidance and mentorship on system safety principles, best practices, and artifact development.
Manage resource allocation and capacity planning to support multiple concurrent programs, and drive recruiting efforts to maintain growth trajectory.
Conduct performance management, career development planning, and succession planning.
Develop and implement tailored System Safety program plans aligned with MIL-STD-882E and the needs of Anduril and its customers.
Define and communicate the System Safety organization's vision, goals, and framework to standardize development efforts across the business and integrate safety processes across all stages of product development.
Oversee and review complex safety analyses, including FHA (Functional Hazard Analysis), Fault Tree, SCFTA (Safety Critical Functional Thread Analysis), and SAR (Safety Assessment Report).
Develop system safety requirements and collaborate with design teams to implement safety solutions.
Support Milestone Reviews such as PDR, CDR, and TRR representing System Safety.
Liaise with customers, regulatory bodies, and internal stakeholders on safety-related matters.
Drive continuous improvement in System Safety processes and methodologies.
Ensure compliance with relevant military and industry safety standards.
Contribute to proposal efforts and support business development activities, as required.
Provide management-level reporting and communications on team performance, program status, and strategic initiatives

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

B.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or equivalent technical discipline
7+ years of experience in System Safety Engineering, with at least 1 years in a leadership role
Proven track record building, scaling, and managing technical teams of 5+ engineers for complex advanced programs
Strong background in safety analysis techniques, including FTA, FHA, SCFTA, and FMECA.
Extensive knowledge of MIL-STD-882E, JSSSEH or other relevant safety standards.
Experience with safety-critical hardware and software systems in the defense or aerospace industry, with a preference for Rotorcraft, Aircraft, or Weapon Systems
Experience setting up a System Safety Engineering framework for a product or program, including early stage Design for Safety and Hazard Analysis experience
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with ability to influence cross-functionally at all levels
Strategic thinking with ability to balance hands-on technical work with management responsibilities
Eligibility to pursue and maintain a U.S. security clearance, as required

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

M.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or equivalent technical discipline
10+ years of experience in System Safety Engineering, with at least 3 years in a leadership role.
Experience managing teams through periods of rapid growth (2x+ team expansion)
Track record of developing talent and promoting team members into leadership roles
Experience or familiarity with ISO 26262, ARP-4754, ARP-4761, and MIL-STD-516C
Direct experience with sensors, sensor fusion, small UAS, or air defense products
Experience with software safety, software assurance, or Level of Rigor for safety-critical software systems
Executive-level communications, reporting, and roadmap presentation experience
Technical writing experience developing standards, specifications, user guides, and policies
Experience with Relyence, Teamcenter, Confluence, JAMA, Cameo, and JIRA
Experience drafting requirements for software and hardware systems
Active U.S. security clearance

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:
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- 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.

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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.