Senior Systems Engineer, Thunder

Anduril|31 Jul 2026

fulltimeonsite

Job Description

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century’s most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril’s family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.

Anduril is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer to join the Maneuver Dominance team at our Costa Mesa HQ to lead a critical capability development of an advanced airborne platform. This individual will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of vertical flight focusing on wholistic Support System thinking to shape Air Vehicle development and novel approaches Operations and Sustainment.

You will work on new a Mission System development, bringing pragmatic Systems Engineering thinking to complement and enhance the overall capability, ensuring that end-user needs are met in challenging operational environments. You will be part of a lean, high-ownership culture where you directly shape the product and operate at a velocity to fly new designs within months, not years.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Execute a right-sized, Agile Systems Engineering approach as per the Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP) for development of the Thunder Mission System and Payloads at the speed of relevance
Support design teams in the evolution and progress of Technical Performance Measures (TPMs) throughout the design process
Contribute to System Design Reviews (SDR) and engineering governance structures such as Preliminary Design Reviews (PDR), Critical Design Reviews (CDR), Test Readiness Reviews (TRR), Safety Review Boards (SRB) representing the Systems Engineering discipline
Own and maintain Functional Decomposition, System Breakdown Structure (SBS), Product Breakdown Structure (PBS), and Architecture diagrams
Develop key Systems Engineering design artifacts including System Description Documents (SDDs) and Interface Control Documents (ICDs)
Champion the use of the Test and Evaluation Master Plan (TEMP) to enable Mission System and Payload maturation
Shape the design of representative Hardware In Lab (HIL) and Hardware In The Loop (HITL) physical integration environments, and input into surrogate testing
Create issue board workflows and coordinate ticket triage, action assignment, artifact capture and closure
Shape and coordinate configuration and change management processes
Support wholistic Systems Safety and Airworthiness efforts
Support build, ground and flight test of prototype and production representative Thunder Mission Systems with Physical Configuration Audits (PCA) and verification-related tasks

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND ATTRIBUTES

Bachelor degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical or Systems Engineering, or equivalent technical discipline
8+ years industry Systems Engineering experience including safety-critical hardware and software systems in the Defense or Aerospace industries, specifically crewed aircraft, rotorcraft, EVTOL, UAS or weapon systems
Demonstrable Systems Engineering proficiency, including solicitation of requirements with the customer/end-user, collaboration with design teams
Experience developing traditional and right-sized Systems Engineering artifacts, including pragmatic verification and validation plans
Deep understanding of the test and evaluation process as applicable to developmental, acceptance and operational testing
Familiarity with technical software packages such as Teamcenter, JIRA, JAMA, Cameo, and/or Ansys
Experience with crewed or uncrewed developmental autonomous aircraft (Group 5 UAS or larger)
Exposure to guidelines, standards and processes such as ARP-4754, ARP-4761, DO-178C, DO-254, JSSSEH, MIL-STD 882E, MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-516C, MIL-STD-461, AC-17-01 desirable
Proficiency in coordinating change management processes
Outstanding written and verbal communication skills to include presentation of developed artifacts
A sincere commitment to a positive, inclusive, and collaborative culture
Eligible to obtain and maintain a security clearance in United States, United Kingdom, or Australia

US Salary Range

$165,000—$210,000 USD

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including:

Benefits

At Anduril, we invest in our people. Our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you’re supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next. For more information, Explore Our Benefits.

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