Anduril Industries

Chief Engineer, Autonomous Flight

Anduril Industries$220K — $330K *
Aerospace & Defense
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Proven track record directing technical architecture as a lead engineer.
  • Experience in developing and fielding software-heavy robotics or aerospace products.
  • Strong skills in hardware/software integration and robotics software architectures.
  • Background with autonomous systems or Department of Defense mission-critical technologies.
  • Ability to travel up to 25% for customer site visits and field testing.
  • Education in Robotics, Aerospace, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent field.
  • Eligible for U.S. Secret security clearance.

Responsibilities

  • Lead systems engineering and design for complex software-heavy robotics systems.
  • Guide agile teams through design, implementation, and deployment phases.
  • Oversee hardware/software integration and testing for seamless operational performance.
  • Collaborate with Product Managers to translate customer needs into technical milestones.
  • Make technical trade-offs and prioritize engineering efforts across programs.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive benefits package available at low or no cost to employees.
  • Support for health and recovery needs.
  • Investment in employee well-being and professional development.
Full Job Description
About the Job

The Air Dominance & Strike team at Anduril develops aerial and multi-domain robotic systems. The team is responsible for taking products like Fury (unmanned fighter jet) and Barracuda (air-breathing cruise missile) from concept to product. The team also develops Lattice for Mission Autonomy, Anduril's premier software platform that enables masses of Fury, Barracuda, and other first and third-party robots to collaborate across various missions. We work in close coordination with specialist teams like Perception, Motion Planning, Hardware, and Test Engineering to solve some of the hardest problems facing our customers.

As a Chief Engineer, you will own the technical architecture and system-level design of the onboard autonomy stack, command and control systems, and modular payloads for our next-generation autonomous platforms. With a software heavy focus, you will guide lean, multi-disciplinary engineering teams from "0-to-1" design through deployment, bridging the gap between high-level business strategy and rigorous engineering execution.

What You'll Do:
  • Lead systems engineering, requirements decomposition, and technical architecture for software-heavy robotics systems.
  • Guide small, fast-moving groups of individual contributors through the design, implementation, and deployment phases of emerging programs.
  • Oversee hardware/software integration and testing (simulation, hardware-in-the-loop, and field testing) to ensure perception, motion planning, and task allocation algorithms run seamlessly on physical platforms.
  • Partner with Product Managers and Business Development to convert customer mission needs and operational concepts into concrete technical milestones.
  • Decide technical trade-offs across concurrent programs, helping teams prioritize engineering efforts.

Required Qualifications:
  • Proven track record directing technical architecture and guiding individual contributors as a lead engineer
  • Background in developing and fielding software-heavy robotics, autonomous systems, or aerospace products.
  • Strong hardware/software integration skills, including robotics software architectures and tactical mission systems.
  • Experience with autonomous systems, mission-critical Department of Defense systems, or tactical edge technologies.
  • Travel: Ability to travel up to 25% to customer sites and field testing locations.
  • Education: BS, MS, or PhD in Robotics, Aerospace, ME, EE, CS, or equivalent.
  • Security Clearance: Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret clearan

Preferred Qualifications:
  • Advanced knowledge in Motion Planning, Perception, Command & Control, SLAM, task allocation, or tactical networking.
  • Work history involving multi-domain unmanned systems (air, ground, or maritime).
  • Understanding of edge-AI/ML deployment on autonomous physical systems.


US Salary Range

$220,000-$330,000 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.

About Anduril Industries

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company that develops advanced systems for the military. The company was founded in 2017 by Palmer Luckey, Trae Stephens, and Matt Grimm, and has since grown to become a major player in the defense industry. Anduril's products include autonomous drones, surveillance systems, and other advanced technologies that are designed to enhance military capabilities. The company has received significant funding from investors and has partnerships with several major defense contractors. Anduril is headquartered in Mountain View, California.
Learn more about Anduril Industries
Size
200 employees
Industry
Founded
2017

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