Chief Engineer

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 JOB You’ll own the technical development of large aircraft from white paper sketches and conceptual design through detailed design, build, flight test, transition to production, and sustainment. This includes vehicle layout and conceptual design, airframe and propulsion system design and integration, guidance section development, payload and datalink integration, fabrication and flight test. These projects will be diverse in nature and require you to leverage your technical expertise as well as leadership skills to set objectives, build a team, and drive to completion. The ability to leverage your intuition and prior experience in programmatic level decision will play a key component in making sure the right design/analysis/ and test steps are being completed to ensure success without simply completing steps for the sake of the process that don’t add value. The ideal candidate will leverage their experience executing and successfully completing prior highly optimized multi-disciplinary projects. WHAT YOU’LL DO: Work closely with the customer to develop an exportable Group 5 aircraft in region. This will require close coordination with Anduril Growth, Export compliance, technical departments, US and Foreign Suppliers and US and Foreign government subject matter experts and senior leaders. The intent is to have a strong technical chief engineer who can become engaged in the design process, gain a deep understanding of the aircraft, and leveraging understanding of export regulations, identify technical development roadmaps including: scope, cost and schedule required to prototype, test, and manufacture exportable group 5 aircraft. Lead technical and programmatic execution of new and existing air vehicle systems design, fabrication, test, productization and sustainment. Own the technical and programmatic success of your programs, establish technical and programmatic vision assemble teams of internal and external subject matter experts, and communicate that vision to them. Candidate will begin with a high level of individual contributor work to initiate a program. Success will result in establishment of a product line of exportable Group 5 systems. This will require building a technical and programmatic team around business opportunities. Set up trades to enable the exploration of early conceptual designs while working closely with technical SME’s and Business Development teams to find the right solution to current and future gaps in the sovereign capability to ensure the warfighter has the best solution for current and future conflicts. Manage the detailed design of the system and subsystems including requirements development, sub-system trades and optimization, risk management etc. to ensure the appropriate consideration of design key performance parameters, schedule, costs and risks. Coordinate the fabrication of prototype and low-rate production articles and subsystem/system level test efforts. Develop budgetary estimates and schedules working with functional engineering teams Work with foreign suppliers and vendors to incorporate relevant capabilities onto the Group 5 platform. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, or Software Engineering Degree from an accredited institution 10+ years of technical engineering experience in a professional environment Deep understanding of unmanned aircraft at and above Group 3 class Experience with aircraft system design, prototype and test Experience in a senior role leading air vehicle programs from initial concept through test and delivery to customers Experience driving strategic direction in competitive landscapes, solving complex system optimization challenges under tight constraints. Proven ability to deliver functional capabilities while aligning technical objectives with programmatic outcomes. Demonstrated collaboration and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders Strong understanding of the “why” behind Vehicle and Systems design. Experience with sovereign military design standards and airworthiness processes Experience integrating foreign vendor engineering and manufacturing teams, as well as subsystems and other products Must be able to obtain and hold a Dutch government security clearance PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS Experience with unmanned aircraft system design, prototype and test Experience managing technical development programs Experience with Foreign Military Sales, Direct commercial sales of defense systems 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: Healthcare Benefits US Roles: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans at little to no cost to you. UK & AUS Roles: We cover full cost of medical insurance premiums for you and your dependents. IE Roles: We offer an annual contribution toward your private health insurance for you and your dependents. Additional Benefits Income Protection: Anduril covers life and disability insurance for all employees. Generous time off: Highly competitive PTO plans with a holiday hiatus in December. Caregiver & Wellness Leave is available to care for family members, bond with a new baby, or address your own medical needs. Family Planning & Parenting Support: Coverage for fertility treatments (e.g., IVF, preservation), adoption, and gestational carriers, along with resources to support you and your partner from planning to parenting. Mental Health Resources: Access free mental health resources 24/7, including therapy and life coaching. Additional work-life services, such as legal and financial support, are also available. Professional Development: Annual reimbursement for professional development Commuter Benefits: Company-funded commuter benefits based on your region. Relocation Assistance: Available depending on role eligibility. Retirement Savings Plan US Roles: Traditional 401(k), Roth, and after-tax (mega backdoor Roth) options. UK & IE Roles: Pension plan with employer match. AUS Roles: Superannuation plan. The recruiter assigned to this role can share more information about the specific compensation and benefit details associated with this role during the hiring process. 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