Director of Advanced Design

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

We are seeking a Director of Advanced Design for the Air Dominance & Strike hardware engineering organization. This role will oversee the conceptual design for Group 5 Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and advanced missile platforms.

Responsibilities

• Direct the end-to-end conceptual design process for UAV and missile platforms, including mission analysis, configuration trade studies, requirements development, and architecture selection.
• Serve as a technical expert for early-phase pursuits, shaping concept white-papers, customer proposals, and technology roadmaps, partnering with the chief engineering team.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to ensure alignment with technical feasibility, affordability, and customer mission needs.
• Support direct interactions with customers to translate mission requirements into design concepts.
• Act as a senior technical decision-maker, applying engineering intuition and prior experience to ensure effective design paths and avoid costly development missteps.
• Partner with Chief Engineers and product teams to align engineering execution with broader mission and capability goals.
• Stay at the forefront of emerging aerospace technologies and threats, incorporating disruptive innovations into early-stage designs.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in conceptual or preliminary design of aerospace systems, with technical leadership roles on Group 5 UAS, similar class aircraft, or advanced missile systems.
• Demonstrated expertise in at least one of the core aerospace hardware disciplines: aerodynamics, structures, propulsion integration, or electrical systems.
• Deep understanding of system architecture, mission requirements, and full product lifecycle development.
• Proven experience leading high-performance engineering teams, ideally in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and technical leadership skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical Engineering or related field.
• Experience with rapid prototyping and iterative development environments.
• Hands-on experience with advanced design tools, simulation, and test equipment.

Benefits Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) to support health, recovery, and overall well-being.