Job Snapshot
Anduril is hiring a Mechanical Engineer, Air Vehicles in Costa Mesa, California for work on advanced unmanned aircraft hardware. The role centers on CAD-based mechanical design, electrical-mechanical integration, engineering analysis, prototype builds, vendor and test support, and transition into production. The posted U.S. base salary range is $129,000 to $171,000.
Role Overview
This Mechanical Engineer, Air Vehicles position sits within Anduril’s Air Dominance and Strike mechanical engineering group. The work spans the practical lifecycle of flight hardware: shaping concepts, designing parts and subsystem layouts, supporting integration, testing prototypes, investigating failures, and helping successful designs move toward production. Candidates should be comfortable using first-principles engineering judgment and working close to real hardware, vendors, test activity, and customer demonstrations.
About Anduril Industries
Anduril Industries builds defense technology for U.S. and allied military users. Its products combine autonomy, artificial intelligence, computer vision, sensor fusion, networking, and its Lattice OS platform to support modern command-and-control and military systems. For this team, the focus is mechanical hardware for Group 5 air vehicles and missile platforms, with an emphasis on systems that can perform in demanding operational environments.
What You’ll Work On
- Develop and integrate hardware for unmanned air vehicles.
- Carry mechanical designs from early concept work through real-world use.
- Use physics-based engineering reasoning to guide design decisions.
- Lead design reviews, perform analysis, visit vendors, and define hardware test plans.
- Build prototypes, analyze failures, and help move proven designs into production.
- Support important hardware demonstrations with customers when needed.
- Travel to test sites as required by the program.
Must-Have Qualifications
- 5+ years of mechanical engineering experience on advanced air vehicle programs.
- Experience integrating electrical and mechanical subsystems into advanced air vehicles.
- CAD experience designing mechanical parts.
- Understanding of manufacturing processes such as machining, sheet metal, composites, 3D printing, injection molding, and composite lamination.
- Strong command of engineering first principles.
- BS or higher degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or Electrical Engineering.
- Eligibility to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience using NX and Teamcenter.
- Experience developing aircraft subsystem layouts.
- Ability to perform architectural trade studies.
- Experience evaluating vendor performance data.
- Competency in structural, thermal, and electrical engineering analysis.
Skills Breakdown
The core skill set is senior mechanical engineering for advanced air vehicles: CAD design, hardware integration, manufacturing awareness, physics-based analysis, prototype testing, and failure investigation. NX/Teamcenter, aircraft layout work, trade studies, vendor data review, and multi-domain analysis are listed as preferred rather than baseline requirements. The 5+ year experience requirement and design ownership expectations point to a senior individual-contributor role.
Salary and Compensation
The employer lists a U.S. base salary range of $129,000 to $171,000 for this role. The range is base salary only and may vary based on factors such as experience, education, training, critical skills, and business needs. The posting also states that highly competitive equity grants are included in most full-time offers and are considered part of Anduril’s total compensation package.
Benefits
- Comprehensive, competitive benefits package available at little to no cost to employees.
- Health and recovery support are specifically referenced in the posting.
- Additional benefits details are provided by Anduril through its benefits information.
Location and Work Model
The listed job location is Costa Mesa, California, United States. The posting does not state a remote or hybrid policy, and the role includes hardware integration, vendor visits, test-site travel, and customer demonstration support. Visa sponsorship is not mentioned. Candidates must be eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance.