Director, Industrial Engineering

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology.

The Manufacturing Engineering Team is seeking a Director, Industrial Engineering to lead IE strategy and execution for the Air Defense & Strike (AD&S) division.

As the Director, Industrial Engineering , AD&S, you will own the industrial engineering function for the Air Defense & Strike division end-to-end.

Responsibilities:

• Divisional IE Strategy and Execution: Own the IE strategy for AD&S , defining the roadmap, capability priorities, and investment plan aligned to the division’s ramp trajectory, NPI pipeline, and business objectives.
• Translate company-wide IE standards and the MDP process into AD&S-specific execution , ensuring IE deliverables (labor standards, layouts, line balances, capacity models) are completed at the right maturity gates and integrated into division planning.
• Drive Core 4 metrics performance (labor hours per unit, line balance efficiency, throughput, units per square foot) , setting targets, tracking results, and ensuring IE work moves the numbers that matter to AD&S.
• Serve as the primary IE interface to AD&S leadership for capacity questions, ramp feasibility, layout approvals, make-vs-buy analysis, and production system design.
• Team Building and Leadership: Build the AD&S IE team into a high-performing, right-sized organization , designing the structure, defining roles, leading hiring, and onboarding IEs, IE Leads, and IE Technicians aligned to the division’s product lines and production stages.
• Directly manage the embedded IE team , setting expectations, driving accountability, conducting performance reviews, and investing in the growth and career development of every team member.
• Production System Design and NPI: Lead IE involvement in production line stand-ups and NPI ramps , from process characterization and layout design through labor standards development, line balancing, rate-readiness validation, and system optimization.
• Own production line and workstation layout design , cell configurations, material flow, equipment placement, and spatial planning for both low-rate and full-rate production using simulation-backed approaches.
• Drive capacity planning and production modeling , ensuring AD&S has accurate capacity models, proactively identifying bottlenecks and constraints, and supporting capital investment decisions with IE analysis.
• Cross-Functional Partnership and Communication: Operate as a peer member of the AD&S production leadership team , shaping production strategy, influencing capital and staffing decisions, and representing IE in all forums where production decisions are made.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Systems Engineering, Operations Research, or a related field.
• 12+ years of experience in industrial engineering, manufacturing engineering, or production operations, with demonstrated depth across multiple IE disciplines (labor standards, layout design, capacity planning, simulation).
• 5+ years managing industrial engineers or manufacturing engineers, including experience managing managers or leads , with demonstrated hiring, org design, and team-building experience.
• Experience building or scaling an IE team in a ramp or start-up production environment , designing team structure, hiring into it, and standing up capabilities from early stages.
• Deep technical credibility in core IE fundamentals: time studies, labor standards (MTM/MODAPTS), line balancing, layout design, capacity planning, and production system design.
• Experience operating as a peer of production leadership , influencing strategy, owning budgets and headcount, and communicating IE impact to VP-level audiences.
• Track record of driving measurable operational improvement , IE initiatives that moved production metrics and can be quantified.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Operations Research, MBA, or a related field.
• Experience in defense, aerospace, or other highly regulated, high-mix manufacturing environments with complex compliance and traceability requirements.
• Experience standing up a centralized or embedded IE function from scratch , methodology selection, standards development, tooling, and organizational adoption.
• Proficiency in simulation software (FlexSim, Arena, AnyLogic, or equivalent), data analytics/visualization (Power BI, Tableau), or experience integrating IE deliverables with MES/ERP platforms.
• Experience designing and commissioning new production lines or manufacturing facilities.
• Active security clearance, or ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance.