Lead Manufacturing Engineer, High-Speed Missiles

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

The Missiles Manufacturing Engineering team at Anduril is dedicated to rewriting the playbook for precision strike and deterrent capabilities.

As the Lead Manufacturing Engineer for High-Speed Missiles, you will be the driving force behind the industrialization of our hypersonic missile programs.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the Charge: Act as the primary manufacturing leader for the hypersonic program, setting the execution strategy, managing production timelines, and driving cross-functional teams to hit critical milestones.
• Drive Early NPI & DFM: Collaborate directly with design engineering leadership during early development phases to push aggressive Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) requirements.
• Architect the Factory of the Future: Design, commission, and scale the physical work centers, advanced assembly lines, and factory layouts specifically tailored for hypersonic vehicles.
• Pioneer Advanced Processes: Establish robust manufacturing methods for exotic materials, advanced composite structures, thermal protection systems (TPS), and high-performance propulsion integration.
• Own Tooling & Capital Equipment: Identify capital equipment needs and lead the design, procurement, and qualification of custom assembly tooling and automated equipment.
• Bridge Design and the Shop Floor: Serve as the technical authority on the floor, unblocking production bottlenecks, resolving complex engineering anomalies, and driving continuous improvement initiatives.

Requirements:

• Educational Background: B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering, or a related STEM discipline.
• Senior Technical & NPI Ownership: Strong hands-on hardware manufacturing experience acting as a technical anchor, product owner, or project lead for a complex aerospace, defense, or high-technology product line coupled with a proven track record of owning a clean-sheet NPI product, complex manufacturing process, or critical system from cradle to grave.
• Strategic DFM & Cross-Functional Influence: Proven ability to influence design engineering decisions to adopt aggressive Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) principles, ensuring design maturity aligns with production schedules.
• Technical Mentorship & Peer Leadership: Experience guiding, mentoring, and unblocking peer engineers.
• Travel: Willingness to travel occasionally (U.S. Person Status: Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities.
• Clearance Status: Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Security clearance.
• YoE: 8+ years of experience working in manufacturing or related field.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Hypersonics Experience: Direct experience working on hypersonic vehicles, scramjets, rocket propulsion, thermal protection systems (TPS), or high-temperature structures/materials is highly valued.
• Aerospace & Defense Domain Expertise: Experience working on complex aerospace systems, tactical missiles, launch vehicles, satellites, or high-performance automotive platforms.
• Program & Schedule Management: Strong ability to manage program schedules, identify critical path risks, and coordinate cross-functionally with Supply Chain, Quality, Test, and Program Management to ensure on-time delivery.

Benefits: Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including comprehensive, competitive benefits packages.