Payload Engineer, Maneuver Dominance

Anduril Industries
Costa Mesa, California, United StatesPosted 28 April 2026

Job Description

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 Anduril is seeking a Payloads Engineer to join the Maneuver Dominance team at our Costa Mesa HQ. The Maneuver Dominance (MD) Team at Anduril develops aerial robotic systems designed to operate in large coordinated teams in concert with ground maneuver forces. We leverage existing Anduril drone platforms like Ghost, Altius, or Roadrunner, in addition to bringing 3rd party platforms into Anduril’s Lattice ecosystem. We develop perception and autonomy algorithms to solve some of the hardest problems facing our customers. As a Payloads Engineer, you will lead/enable mechanical design, analysis and integration of Anduril payloads into host platforms. This is a unique opportunity to grow your expertise in one of the most challenging and differing engineering domains; large autonomous air vehicles. You will work closely with the program leadership and a wide spectrum of cross-departments as part of a team focused on solving hard problems and changing the industry forever. WHAT YOU’LL DO: Develop and integrate hardware payloads on large unmanned vehicles Own designs from concept generation (inc. Systems Engineering) to real world use Use first principles in flight physics and engineering as a basis for every decision Lead design reviews, run analyses, define and execute hardware test plans Coordinate and interface with suppliers, customers, contractors, and engineering groups assigned to projects Build prototypes, analyze failures, and transition successful projects into production Support critical hardware demonstrations with customers as needed Develop and present technical material for reviews and meetings Travel to sites both nationally and internationally as needed REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: 5+ years of mechanical engineering, flight physics or related experience in a regulated sector (air, marine, automotive — manned or unmanned) Experience integrating electrical and mechanical subsystems into large air vehicles (ideally unmanned) Experience in Weapon Release approvals with the UK MOD Flight Physics understanding to enable the delivery of payloads for kinetic interception High competence with, and fluid use of, engineering first principles Competency in engineering analysis Batchelors or higher degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Flight Physics or Automotive Engineering Ability to obtain and hold a UK Security Clearance to Secret Level. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS Experience in NX/Teamcenter Experience in Solidworks Experience designing mechanical parts and test equipment (CAD). Understanding of manufacturing methods (machining, sheet metal, composites, 3D printing, injection molding, composite lamination, etc) Experience developing subsystem layouts, performing architectural trade studies, and evaluating vendor performance data US Salary Range $146,000 $194,000 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. ... (truncated, view full listing at source)
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