Lead Mechanical Engineer

• Anduril is seeking a Mechanical Engineer, Lead to join the team at our Costa Mesa HQ
• Here you will lead core product development for drones and complex systems, including but not limited to optical gimbals, batteries, mechanisms, structures, sensors and payloads
• This role requires expert-level ownership of complete product integration and execution, with strategic influence across multiple teams and disciplines
• The ideal candidate would be a technical leader who drives adoption of new methodologies, provides deep expertise, and sets the standard for technical excellence
• High growth potential is possible as well as additional leadership opportunities
• Own complete integration and execution of complex products and product families from concept to full rate production
• Drive the work of technical teams through technical leadership, mentorship, and strategic direction
• Drive overall goals for product success through leadership and direction across disciplines
• Identify needs and gaps, then define best practices and standards and deploy those broadly across the organization
• Lead design reviews and drive buy-in from cross-disciplinary partners, serving as a trusted advisor
• Provide technical guidance and leadership to multi-disciplinary teams, shaping project direction and ensuring alignment with organizational goals
• Perform advanced hand calculations and FEA to develop, assess, and optimize designs with engineering judgment appropriate to product maturity
• Build prototypes, define and execute hardware test plans, iterate on designs, and produce authoritative technical documentation summarizing results
• Perform root cause investigations for hardware failures and proactively identify and resolve conflicts in both technical and programmatic challenges
• Balance operational needs across vehicle subsystems while optimizing for development speed, mass, manufacturability, cost, and long-term sustainment
• Lead adoption of new tools, methodologies, and manufacturing methods for step-function improvements
• Mentor engineers across teams and influence organizational technical strategy
• Support critical hardware demonstrations with customers as needed
• Travel to test sites and vendors as needed

Benefits

• Full Family Health Coverage
• 16 Weeks Paid Parental Leave for All Caregivers
• Family Planning & Support
• Incentivized Time Off
• Mental Health Resources
• Financial Planning
• Unlimited Provisions
• Professional Development- Proven ability to set the standard for technical work within a group
• 7+ years of progressive mechanical/design experience, including 3+ years in technical leadership roles managing engineering teams
• BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent work experience
• Expert CAD skills with exceptional quality suitable as templates and training materials
• Expertise in structures, thermal management, and mechanisms, with depth in electrical integration
• Strong engineering judgment to right-size solutions based on product maturity
• Proven track record of mentoring multiple teams and driving cross-functional initiatives
• Demonstrated ability to understand and communicate the full picture of technical value in terms of finance, impact, and position to the business
• Excellence in delivering clear, complex ideas in writing and speech through polished technical documents, reports, and presentations
• Expert in standard manufacturing methods with capability to explore adjacent fields, including designing for manufacturability and scale
• Experience scaling and shipping complex products
• Demonstrated wholistic ownership of challenging technical problems and multiple complete products or product families from concept through production
• Ability to drive technical work through influence and leadership, with potential to transition into people management roles
• Significant depth in one or two focus areas of Mechanical Engineering, building towards becoming an expert
• Expert proficiency in Solidworks or NX, and PLM systems
• Expert-level experience designing for rugged environments
• Exceptional leadership and interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability to influence across the organization
• Mastery of GD&T application and ability to define standards for others
• Deep expertise in multiple manufacturing methods: CNC machining, composites, sheet metal, injection molding, PCBA integration, with ability to lead adoption of new methods
• Strong understanding of electro-mechanical and electrical design concepts
• Extensive experience running qualification campaigns for flight hardware
• Experience driving technological advancement towards future product families
• Experience authoring responses to RFIs, proposals to customers and agencies, or white papers
• This position requires eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance