Program Chief Engineer, Air Defense at Anduril Industries

Irvine, California, United States -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

30 Dec, 25

Salary

171000.0

Posted On

01 Oct, 25

Experience

5 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Technical Leadership, Stakeholder Engagement, Technical Ownership, Tactical Execution, Strategic Planning, Cross Team Collaboration, Robotics, Sensor Integrations, Computer Vision, Systems Engineering, Communication Skills, Problem Solving, Data Analysis, Project Management, Client Advocacy, Team Collaboration

Industry

Defense and Space Manufacturing

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. Anduril’s Air Defense team builds autonomous robots that find other robots and knock them out of the sky. This team is the nexus of premier Anduril-built products such as Roadrunner, Sentry, Anvil, Pulsar, and Wisp integrated into a software-enabled Air Defense family of systems tailored to the modern battlespace. At a time when air superiority can no longer be taken for granted, we provide critical force protection capabilities to support the warfighter. Our autonomous family of networked sensors and effectors enables our users to rapidly close the kill chain against a broad range of UAS threats that continue to evolve at a rapid pace. This role provides an opportunity for immediate impact on real-world operations. Our focus is on creating groundbreaking technology that operators need and trust, and all your work will feed into this. You will go deep to learn about gaps in existing defense capabilities, engage with users, synthesize feedback, and build the product infrastructure to support our goals. Anduril is a rapidly growing company, and the right person for this role should be able to work in partnership with engineers and leadership, and thrive in a fast-paced environment with many competing priorities. You often will be expected to self direct, and to be comfortable navigating ambiguity. You will quickly take ownership of an Air Defense Program to solve specific challenges, craft your own vision for what the technical success of that initiative looks like, and own the execution of that vision through cross functional execution. ABOUT YOU You are a proven technical leader who delivers timely, quality, and performant systems to your client. Specifically: You are the internal advocate for your client; you represent their best interests within the engineering team You bridge the gap between Engineering and Field Operations You thrive in uncertainty. You are not a creature of process but can build structure where it is needed You can distinguish between must-have’s and nice-to-have’s. You can clearly say “No” to internal and external stakeholders You anticipate blockers and effectively plan around them You are hungry to learn complex technology and relish the opportunity to explain it to others You can seamlessly calibrate your communication to any level of technical audience You are a team player and contribute to positive and mission-aligned culture You effectively tie the strategic vision to the tactical execution You think critically and challenge ambiguity WHAT YOU'LL DO Stakeholder Engagement: Build and maintain relationships with internal stakeholders, external clients, and industry partners to gather insights, align objectives, and secure buy-in for strategic initiatives. Act as the primary technical liaison for the client, advocate for their needs within the engineering organization and ensure their feedback directly influences the engineering roadmap. Communicate the outputs of these efforts including upcoming software releases, new capabilities, and performance improvement over time. Technical Ownership: Drive technical outcomes through meticulous understanding of system performance, drive product development through operational learnings and data, own the technical narrative from product deliver through continuous improvements. Credibly represent our system in front of technical and nontechnical clients Tactical Execution: Bring clarity to the path between engineering development and operational delivery. Whether through sprint planning and execution or on-the-ground support of test events, attack blockers and guide the team through fast-paced execution to deliver the optimal technical outcome for the client. Strategic Planning: Translate strategic business goals and program requirements into actionable project plans, setting clear milestones, and driving initiatives from conception through to successful completion, ensuring they deliver intended outcomes and add value to the business. Oversee the allocation of personnel, budget, and other resources to ensure successful execution of these initiatives. When possible, lead with data. Execute Autonomously: Execute on broad and/or ambiguous requirements from external clients. Seize the opportunity to shape requirements in favor of the optimal product for the client and the company. Demonstrate high ownership on all pieces of work. Become a trusted partner to Anduril’s engineers. Enable Cross Team Collaboration: Manage, unblock, and accelerate cross-team projects spanning multiple teams and initiatives. Collaborate closely and even embed within partner teams, such as hardware, software, test, and field operations as needed. Shape Growth Opportunities: Support the drafting of technical proposals, ensuring that potential projects and scaling opportunities with each account are accurately scoped, resourced, and aligned with the organization's capabilities and strategic goals. Drive the alignment of the technical roadmap with the strategic vision REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS Minimum of 4+ years experience as a Chief Engineer, Technical Program Manager, Technical Product Manager, Engineering Manager, or Engineer in an autonomous systems, robotics, or software development environment. Proven client-facing technical program management and/or systems engineering experience, preferably in the defense, national security, or aerospace domains A strong familiarity with robotics, sensor integrations, or computer vision systems and their architecture preferred. Proven experience leading a technical team of peers to field hardware or software products to real operating environments Experience working in a rapidly iterating test environment with high levels of integration with software development teams. Solid technical aptitude and an ability to understand technical designs, software development lifecycle, challenges and risks; ability to work closely and effectively with engineering teams. Ability to work with internal and external stakeholders, across a wide range of technical comfort Excellent written and verbal communication skills Must be able to obtain a minimum Secret Clearance. Must be able to travel up to 25% of the time PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS Experience in building programs for software and testing deliverables from ground up. Strong technical, analytical and quantitative skills with the ability to use data and metrics to back up assumptions, recommendations and drive decisions Ability to work within organizations with minimal structure and with minimal direction. Experience in rolling out potentially disruptive organizational process changes Strong technical, analytical and quantitative skills with the ability to use data and metrics to back up assumptions, recommendations and drive decisions Experience with tools like JIRA and Confluence Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or an Engineering discipline US Salary Range $129,000—$171,000 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. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including: Platinum Healthcare Benefits: For U.S. roles, we offer comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans at little to no cost to you. For UK roles, Private Medical Insurance (PMI): Anduril will cover the full cost of the insurance premium for an employee and dependents. For AUS roles, Private health plan through Bupa: Coverage is fully subsidized by Anduril. Basic Life/AD&D and long-term disability insurance 100% covered by Anduril, plus the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your dependents. Extremely generous company holiday calendar including a holiday hiatus in December, and highly competitive PTO plans. 16 weeks of paid Caregiver & Wellness Leave to care for a family member, bond with your baby, or tend to your own medical condition. Family Planning & Parenting Support: Fertility (eg, IVF, preservation), adoption, and gestational carrier coverage with additional benefits and resources to provide support from planning to parenting. Mental Health Resources: We provide free mental health resources 24/7 including therapy, life coaching, and more. Additional work-life services, such as free legal and financial support, available to you as well. A professional development stipend is available to all Andurilians. Company-funded commuter benefits available based on your region. Relocation assistance (depending on role eligibility). 401(k) retirement savings plan - both a traditional and Roth 401(k). (US roles only) 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. Anduril is an equal-opportunity employer committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. The Anduril team is made up of incredibly talented and unique individuals, who together are disrupting industry norms by creating new paths towards the future of defense technology. All qualified applicants will be treated with respect and receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, uniform service, Veteran status, age, or any other protected characteristic per federal, state, or local law, including those with a criminal history, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the CA Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. We actively encourage members of recognized minorities, women, Veterans, and those with disabilities to apply, and we work to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all applicants throughout the interview process. If you are someone passionate about working on problems that have a real-world impact, we'd love to hear from you! To view Anduril's candidate data privacy policy, please visit https://anduril.com/applicant-privacy-notice/.

Responsibilities

The Program Chief Engineer will engage with stakeholders to gather insights and align objectives while driving technical outcomes through a deep understanding of system performance. They will also translate strategic business goals into actionable project plans and ensure successful execution.