Operations Analyst, Hardware Platform Operations

The Hardware Platform Organization is Anduril's central hardware engineering org. We build the shared technologies, tools, and infrastructure that power hardware development across every Anduril division, from actuators and propulsion to batteries, avionics, rocket motors, and test operations. Our teams set engineering standards, run development manufacturing and test sites, and develop core technology products that ship across multiple product lines.

As a member of Hardware Platform Operations, you will work side by side with the operations leads who run the business of Hardware Platform, spanning both core engineering and Rocket Motor Systems, serving as a true right hand on the organization’s most important operational, financial, and strategic work. You will support headcount, budget, capital equipment, and planning workstreams day to day, and you will help with the high-stakes special projects that shape where the organization goes next. You will partner with engineering leadership, our business lines and divisions, Finance, Talent Acquisition, People Operations, Facilities, and central business operations to unpack ambiguous problems and turn them into lasting, scalable solutions.

ABOUT THE JOB

We are looking for a Hardware Operations Analyst to join our growing team. This role is built for someone who would rather ship a working solution this week than a perfect plan next quarter. Your work will range from quick-turn firefighting to building and redesigning processes to supporting strategic analyses that land in front of division leads and executives. We are open to a range of experience levels and will invest heavily in coaching the right person. Scope will grow as fast as you can take it on.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Contribute to Special Projects and Strategic Analysis: Help the operations leads work through the organization’s highest-priority, most ambiguous problems and get them to a decision.
• Build ROI, cost-benefit, and scenario analyses for strategic business starts, Core Technology investments, and organizational design changes.
• Frame the problem, gather the data, form a point of view, and turn it into a clear recommendation for leadership.
• Support the Budget and Financial Operating Rhythm: Track and analyze the financial levers behind Hardware Platform’s budget and fully allocated P&L, in partnership with FP&A.
• Prepare rolling monthly forecasts for headcount, non-labor expense, and capital expenditure, working directly with engineering leads and division operations.
• Produce monthly variance analysis (actuals vs. operating plan vs. forecast), explain the drivers, and recommend actions to stay on plan.
• Partner on Annual Planning and Mid-Year Refresh: Coordinate the planning cycle for Hardware Platform, from input gathering through final submission.
• Build planning models that tie historical labor and spend to strategic priorities and business line demand.
• Help build the case for how Hardware Platform is funded and structured as the organization scales.
• Coordinate Headcount and Staffing Operations: Track the full FTE lifecycle, from program demand intake and req approval through recruiting, onboarding, staffing assignments, and labor reporting.
• Build and maintain the central headcount database and dashboards (current headcount, pending starts, open reqs, and attrition) that give every division a common language for headcount decisions.
• Work cross-functionally with divisions, Talent Acquisition, Finance, and People Operations to inform decisions on requisition openings, headcount adjustments, and hiring priorities for rapid scaling.
• Assist with Capital Equipment and Space: Facilitate the lifecycle of Hardware Platform’s capital equipment, workspace, and lab footprint.
• Maintain the capital equipment database (utilization, depreciation, lifecycle), coordinate the purchase approval process, and help build next year’s capex budget.
• Contribute to workspace and lab growth planning with Facilities and Strategic Real Estate, and track business line utilization of shared equipment and square footage.
• Enable the Leadership Operating Cadence: Help keep the leadership team informed, aligned, and moving.
• Help define KPIs for organizational health, service performance, and team growth, and build report-outs for Monthly and Quarterly Business Reviews and leadership meetings with division leads and senior executives.
• Organize leadership meetings, capture decisions, and follow action items through to closure.
• Build Scalable Processes and Tools: Leave every process better, faster, and more automated than you found it.
• Design dashboards, trackers, and automations across our systems (e.g., Oracle, Anaplan, Foundry, Google Sheets/Excel, BI tools) and use AI tools to remove manual work.
• Spot gaps in data and systems before they become problems, flag them, and help fix them.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, finance, economics, business, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 1+ years of experience in consulting, investment banking, buy-side investing, FP&A, business or strategic operations, or a similar analytical role. We are hiring across multiple experience levels and will level the role based on demonstrated capability.
• Bias for action: You move things forward without waiting to be asked, and you have a track record of following work through to outcomes, not just completing tasks.
• Proactive: You see the problem before it lands on your desk and show up with a proposed fix.
• Influence without authority: You have gotten busy, senior people to make a decision or take action, and you know how to do it with data, clarity, and good relationships.
• Strong analytical and financial foundation: You’re comfortable with financial modeling, variance analysis, and advanced Excel/Google Sheets, and can turn messy data into a clear answer.
• Clear, concise communicator: You write and present crisply to audiences ranging from individual engineers to executives.
• Accountable and organized: You juggle multiple projects in parallel, keep stakeholders updated without being chased, and close loops.
• Coachable and a fast learner: You have high emotional intelligence and a low ego, and you’re eager to learn quickly in a technical, fast-moving environment.
• U.S. Person status required due to access to export-controlled data.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• 4+ years of experience in the roles listed above, with demonstrated growth in scope and responsibility.
• Experience working within or supporting engineering or technical organizations, ideally in defense, aerospace, tech, hardware, or advanced manufacturing.
• Experience with headcount planning, capital expenditure planning, or facilities and space planning.
• Hands-on experience with Oracle, Anaplan, Foundry, SQL, or BI tools (Tableau, Looker, Power BI), including building databases or dashboards from scratch.
• Experience using AI tools or automation to scale your own output and your team’s.
• Ability to obtain and hold a U.S. Top Secret clearance.