Staff Electric Propulsion Engineer (Omen)

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 is seeking a Lead for the electric propulsion system to join the Omen team at our Costa Mesa HQ. Omen is Anduril’s hover-to-cruise autonomous air vehicle (AAV) that packs the endurance, payload, and mission flexibility of much larger airplanes into a novel runway-independent Group 3 platform. Omen can operate from ship decks, beaches, or remote island clearings, providing true runway independence and freedom of maneuver across defense and civilian domains. Omen is the first tail-sitter aircraft with a mass-production contract, with an order of 50 systems representing a decisive investment that anchors production and accelerates the development of future systems. You will work on new aircraft development in a lean, high-ownership culture where you directly shape the product and operate at a velocity to fly new designs within months, not years. ABOUT THE ROLE In this role, you will lead the design, development, and integration of Omen's advanced electric propulsion system. You will own the electric powertrain architecture from concept through production, optimizing for the unique demands of a tail-sitter platform including VTOL operations, efficient cruise flight, and charging. As the electric propulsion Lead, you will work closely with program leadership and cross-functional teammates to deliver a high-performance, reliable solution which seamlessly integrates with the rotor systems, powerplant, and cooling systems. You will own the propeller drive system as well as electric components of the on-board power generation, including battery, power management, and power conversion. You will drive component selection, manage supplier relationships, lead testing and validation efforts, and ensure the electric propulsion systems meet performance and integration requirements. This is a hands-on high ownership role where you will tackle hard technical problems, be the expert, and play a critical role in bringing a groundbreaking aircraft platform to operational reality. Join our dynamic team and help us build the next generation of autonomous flight systems. WHAT YOU'LL DO Own the design of electric propulsion systems including motors, battery, inverters, and high voltage power management Lead electric performance analysis, voltage and thermal modeling, and energy optimization studies to meet mission requirements for electrical loads. Lead the development and execution of test plans for electric propulsion subsystems and combined power generation, including ground test stands, HILs, and flight test, building up to system verification to ensure compliance with project goals and industry standards Define and validate technical performance measures including power, efficiency, thermal limits, and fault tolerance across all operating modes Engage suppliers and create detailed technical specifications and interface control documents for electric propulsion components and assemblies as required Collaborate with other teams for solutions on system packaging, structural/thermal interfaces, and thrust/power control architectures Manage development schedules and technical risks in coordination with program management REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS High-ownership and a bias toward action – if you see a probl ... (truncated, view full listing at source)