# Staff Manufacturing Engineer, Propulsion **Company**: Anduril Industries **Location**: Costa Mesa, California **Experience**: staff **Job type**: full-time **Salary**: $166,000-$220,000 USD **Category**: Manufacturing **Industry**: Defense Technology **Apply**: https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/andurilindustries/jobs/5240479007?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply **Canonical**: https://yubhub.co/jobs/job_a63ba61a-c3d ## Description Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. Anduril's Air Dominance & Strike (AD&S) Manufacturing Engineering team is seeking a Propulsion Manufacturing Engineer to provide subject matter expertise on propulsion system manufacturing across our portfolio of autonomous aircraft, cruise missiles, and loitering munitions. This position may be filled at either the Senior or Staff level depending on experience and qualifications. The role covers the full spectrum of propulsion technologies relevant to AD&S , air-breathing jet turbines, ramjets, and solid rocket motors , and is responsible for ensuring that propulsion hardware can be manufactured, assembled, tested, and integrated at production rate with the quality and reliability our programs demand. Responsibilities: - Serve as a propulsion manufacturing engineering subject matter expert across AD&S programs, covering air-breathing turbines, ramjets, and solid rocket motors. - Evaluate propulsion system designs for manufacturability, assembly, and cost , leading or supporting DFM/DFA reviews and driving design changes that improve producibility without compromising performance. - Work directly with design engineers and program manufacturing engineers to translate propulsion manufacturing constraints into actionable design feedback. - Assist in the selection and qualification of propulsion suppliers and contract manufacturers , assessing manufacturing capability, process maturity, quality systems, and cost competitiveness for propulsion-specific production. - Conduct or participate in supplier manufacturing assessments for propulsion hardware, including facility reviews, process audits, special process qualification (casting, brazing, propellant processing, thermal spray), and production readiness evaluations. - Develop and maintain manufacturing process requirements and standards for propulsion-specific processes including turbine component manufacturing, combustor and hot section fabrication, solid propellant mixing and casting, nozzle manufacturing, and propulsion system assembly and integration. - Support propulsion system test campaigns from a manufacturing engineering perspective , including hardware preparation, instrumentation integration, acceptance test criteria, and post-test hardware disposition and anomaly investigation. - Develop or contribute to should-cost models and cost-driver analyses for propulsion assemblies and components, identifying design and process changes that reduce unit cost at rate production. - Partner with quality engineering to define or support inspection plans, acceptance criteria, and process controls specific to propulsion hardware , including non-destructive testing (NDT), dimensional inspection, and material certification requirements. - Collaborate with supply chain to align propulsion manufacturing requirements with sourcing strategy, including long-lead material planning and sole/single source risk mitigation. - Close the loop between production and test feedback, supplier performance data, and upstream design and process improvements. - Build and maintain propulsion manufacturing knowledge within the ME organization , developing training materials, lessons-learned databases, and technical reference documents. - Mentor and develop junior and mid-level engineers on propulsion manufacturing principles and supplier assessment methods (Staff level). - Travel to production sites, propulsion suppliers, and test facilities (~20%, depending on business needs). Requirements: - Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related field. - 12+ years of experience in propulsion manufacturing, propulsion engineering, or a closely related manufacturing discipline , with expertise in at least one propulsion type: air-breathing turbines, ramjets, or solid rocket motors. - Strong technical knowledge of propulsion-specific manufacturing processes relevant to your area of expertise. - Experience evaluating propulsion designs for manufacturability and translating findings into measurable improvements. - Experience evaluating or qualifying propulsion suppliers , including special process qualification and production readiness assessments. - Understanding of cost drivers in propulsion production, with experience building or contributing to should-cost models. - Ability to read and critically evaluate propulsion system drawings, specifications, and test requirements for manufacturing implications. - Working knowledge of relevant propulsion standards and specifications (MIL-STD, SAE AMS, JANNAF, AIAA standards as applicable). - Proven ability to work cross-functionally across design engineering, manufacturing engineering, test engineering, supply chain, quality, and operations. - Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present technical findings to engineering leadership and drive alignment on design and process changes. - Comfortable working across multiple programs simultaneously in a fast-paced, high-growth environment. - Hands-on experience with propulsion hardware , whether in a production, test, or integration environment. Preferred Qualifications: - Master's degree or PhD in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, or a propulsion-related field. - Deep expertise spanning two or more propulsion types (turbines, ramjets, solid rocket motors). - Experience in aerospace or defense propulsion production, particularly with qualified or flight-critical hardware. - Familiarity with AS9100/AS9102 quality management systems and their application to propulsion hardware. - Experience with energetic materials handling, storage, and safety requirements for solid rocket motor production. - Knowledge of propulsion system qualification processes (ground test, environmental qualification, lot acceptance testing). - Background in advanced materials and processes relevant to propulsion: superalloys, ceramics, ablatives, composite overwrap, thermal protection systems. - Proficiency in CAD software (NX, CATIA, SolidWorks, or similar) sufficient to review designs independently. - Experience with value engineering or formal cost reduction programs in a propulsion production environment. - Currently possesses and is able to maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance with Full-Scope Polygraph. ## Skills ### Required - Mechanical Engineering - Aerospace Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Materials Science - Propulsion Manufacturing - Propulsion Engineering ### Nice to have - Master's degree or PhD in aerospace engineering - Deep expertise spanning two or more propulsion types - Experience in aerospace or defense propulsion production - Familiarity with AS9100/AS9102 quality management systems --- Source: [Apply at job-boards.greenhouse.io](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/andurilindustries/jobs/5240479007?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply)