Senior Systems Engineer - Payload Module Lead
Costa Mesa, CA at a glance
- Rent
- #2 of 51$2,940/mo+46% vs US avg
- Weather
- #17 of 51366 mild days0 hot · 0 cold
- Income tax
- #1 of 5113.3% top rateCalifornia
What you need
- 9+ yrs engineering experience with bachelor's degree
- Software/embedded systems experience (C++, MATLAB, Python)
- Weapon/payload/avionics integration onto aircraft
- Leadership of multidisciplinary engineering team (6-8)
- Safety-critical state machine design and validation
What you'll do
- Lead integration, verification, validation of weapon/payload module
- Directly lead or technically direct 6-8 engineers across disciplines
- Own SMS, fire control logic, arm/select/release state machines
- Drive MIL-STD-1553/1760 interfaces and structural mounts
- Run agile execution: sprint planning, backlog, technical decisions
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
The Maneuver Dominance team is building Thunder - an autonomous attack rotorcraft built to fight alongside crewed combat aviation to deliver overwhelming mass effects deep beyond the front lines. The team in London builds the Mission System and the autonomy that makes aircraft like Thunder work.
Autonomy is only as good as the link that carries it. Thunder is a compact airframe with weapons, sensors and radios competing for the same antenna real estate, flying low and in formation, in a spectrum that is actively contested. That is the problem you are solving.
ABOUT THE JOB
Anduril is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer to lead the design, integration, verification, and validation of a specific payload or weapon module for the Thunder platform. Directly lead, or provide technical direction to, a multidisciplinary team of 6 to 8 engineers spanning software, electrical, and mechanical and structural disciplines, and drive hands on technical execution from requirements through test, fielding, and sustainment.This is a high-visibility leadership position that directly dictates how versatile and mission-effective the aircraft platform will be in the field.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
- Lead integration, verification, and validation of a specific weapon or payload module onto the Thunder platform
- Directly lead, or provide technical direction to, a team of 6 to 8 engineers across software, electrical, and mechanical and structural disciplines
- Develop program plans, estimates, and schedules for the module
- Develop system and architecture designs, perform system level analysis, and generate requirements for the module
- Troubleshoot conflicting design and development requirements
- Drive design and implementation of MIL STD 1553 and 1760 interfaces, structural mounts, and support installs (wiring, cooling, power) for the assigned module
- Own stores management system (SMS) and fire control logic specific to the module, including arm, select, and release state machines and safety interlocks
- Own safe separation analysis and testing for the module, covering trajectory clearance, jettison envelope, and captive carry and flight test support
- Run day to day agile execution for the team, including sprint planning, backlog management, and technical decision making
- Develop and maintain Interface Control Documents, Software Requirement Specifications, Performance Specifications, and review test plans and procedures
- Develop and present technical material for reviews and meetings
- Support lab, ground, and flight test events
- Coordinate with the Payloads Lead on cross module interface consistency and shared standards (MOSA/WOSA)
- Coordinate and interface directly with customers, contractors, and external payload and weapon supplier engineering teams on module specific integration issues
- Drive development of module specific test fixtures, bench setups, and SITL/HITL simulation environments
- Support ongoing operation of the fielded weapon system for the module
- Support proposals and white papers for future efforts or capabilities related to the module
- Provide hands on technical mentorship and direction to team engineers across disciplines
- Travel up to 25% to test sites and integration facilities
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in engineering, computer science, or a related technical discipline from an accredited institution, with progressive engineering experience as follows: nine or more years with a bachelor's degree, seven or more years with a master's degree, or five or more years with a PhD; equivalent engineering experience may substitute for education
- Software programming or embedded systems experience (familiarity with C++, MATLAB, Python, PERL scripting, etc.)
- Familiarity with air to air weapons, MIL STD 1553, and logical Interface Control Documents
- Experience integrating weapons, payloads, or avionics onto aircraft
- Experience with weapon or tactical datalinks
- Experience directly leading or technically directing a small multidisciplinary engineering team (software, electrical, mechanical)
- Experience designing or validating safety critical state machines and interlock logic (arm and fire sequencing, consent based release)
- Must be customer focused with the ability to formulate and implement plans to resolve technical engineering problems
- Ability to travel to support program and test events (up to 25 percent)
- U.S. Person status (citizenship or lawful permanent residency) required for ITAR and export controlled work
- Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Top Secret clearance
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Direct hands on experience integrating a named weapon system (for example Hellfire, Hydra 70), Air Launched Effects, or laser target designation systems
- Experience with weapon and store carriage structural design, including mounting, load analysis, and jettison and separation clearance
- Experience with safe separation analysis, captive carry testing, or flight test support for weapon release clearance
- Experience with stores management systems (SMS) or similar weapon interface controllers
- Familiarity with bus analyzers and test tooling for 1553/1760 (for example Astronics/Ballard, DDC)
- Experience on special mission unit or SOF platform weaponization and conversion programs
- Experience in NX/Teamcenter or Solidworks
- Experience designing mechanical parts and test equipment (CAD)
- Understanding of manufacturing methods (machining, sheet metal, composites, 3D printing, injection molding, composite lamination)
- Familiarity with MBSE tooling (SysML, Cameo, Jama, or similar)
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.comaddress. - 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 [email protected].
- Direct from Anduril: If you receive an email from one of our recruiters, it will only come from an
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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.
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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 [email protected]. 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.
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About Anduril Industries
Anduril Industries is a defense technology company that builds advanced autonomous systems and software for national security. Their Lattice platform integrates sensors, autonomous systems, and data to provide situational awareness and threat response across air, land, sea, and space domains.
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