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Anduril

Builds autonomous weapons for the US and allies

Senior Systems Engineer – Payload Module Lead

AvionicsUpdated on Nov 12
Full-timeCosta Mesa, CA, USA

About the Job

Requirements

  • A bachelor's, master's, or PhD in engineering, computer science, or a related technical discipline from an accredited institution, with nine or more years of engineering experience for a bachelor's degree, seven or more years for a master's degree, or five or more years for a PhD; equivalent engineering experience may substitute for education.
  • Software programming or embedded systems experience, including familiarity with C++, MATLAB, Python, or Perl scripting.
  • Familiarity with air-to-air weapons, MIL-STD-1553, and logical Interface Control Documents.
  • Experience integrating weapons, payloads, or avionics onto aircraft.
  • Experience with weapon or tactical datalinks.
  • Experience directly leading or technically directing a small multidisciplinary engineering team across software, electrical, and mechanical disciplines.
  • Experience designing or validating safety-critical state machines and interlock logic, including arm-and-fire sequencing and consent-based release.
  • Ability to formulate and implement plans to resolve technical engineering problems while remaining customer-focused.
  • Ability to travel to support program and test events, up to 25 percent.
  • U.S. Person status, defined as citizenship or lawful permanent residency, is required for ITAR and export-controlled work.
  • Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Top Secret clearance.

Responsibilities

  • Lead integration, verification, and validation of a specific weapon or payload module onto the Thunder platform.
  • Directly lead, or provide technical direction to, a team of six to eight engineers across software, electrical, and mechanical and structural disciplines.
  • Develop program plans, estimates, and schedules for the module.
  • Develop system and architecture designs, perform system-level analysis, and generate requirements for the module.
  • Troubleshoot conflicting design and development requirements.
  • Drive the design and implementation of MIL-STD-1553 and 1760 interfaces, structural mounts, and module support installations for wiring, cooling, and power.
  • Own the module-specific stores management system and fire-control logic, including arm, select, and release state machines and safety interlocks.
  • Own safe-separation analysis and testing for the module, covering trajectory clearance, jettison envelope, and captive-carry and flight-test support.
  • Run day-to-day agile execution for the team, including sprint planning, backlog management, and technical decision-making.
  • Develop and maintain Interface Control Documents, Software Requirement Specifications, and Performance Specifications, and review test plans and procedures.
  • Develop and present technical material for reviews and meetings.
  • Support laboratory, ground, and flight-test events.
  • Coordinate with the Payloads Lead on cross-module interface consistency and shared standards, including MOSA/WOSA.
  • Coordinate and interface directly with customers, contractors, and external payload and weapon supplier engineering teams on module-specific integration issues.
  • Drive development of module-specific test fixtures, bench setups, and software-in-the-loop/hardware-in-the-loop simulation environments.
  • Support ongoing operation of the fielded weapon system for the module.
  • Support proposals and white papers for future efforts or capabilities related to the module.
  • Provide hands-on technical mentorship and direction to engineers across disciplines.
  • Travel up to 25 percent to test sites and integration facilities.

Desired Qualifications

  • Direct hands-on experience integrating a named weapon system, such as Hellfire or Hydra 70, Air Launched Effects, or laser target designation systems.
  • Experience with weapon and store-carriage structural design, including mounting, load analysis, and jettison and separation clearance.
  • Experience with safe-separation analysis, captive-carry testing, or flight-test support for weapon-release clearance.
  • Experience with stores management systems or similar weapon interface controllers.
  • Familiarity with bus analyzers and test tooling for 1553/1760, such as Astronics/Ballard or DDC.
  • Experience on special mission unit or SOF platform weaponization and conversion programs.
  • Experience with NX/Teamcenter or Solidworks.
  • Experience designing mechanical parts and test equipment using CAD.
  • Understanding of manufacturing methods, including machining, sheet metal, composites, 3D printing, injection molding, and composite lamination.
  • Familiarity with model-based systems engineering tooling such as SysML, Cameo, or Jama.

About the Company

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Anduril

Builds autonomous weapons for the US and allies

Anduril builds autonomous weapons, such as drones, cruise missiles, and robot submarines, for the US military and its allies, often developing them with its own money before any order arrives. In 2024 it beat Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman for an Air Force contract to develop Fury, a pilotless jet that flies alongside crewed fighters. Its Lattice software merges camera and radar feeds into one live map and lets a few operators direct many drones and weapons at once, including other companies' systems. Governments buy its systems under contract, and Anduril builds much of the hardware in its own factories. Oculus founder Palmer Luckey co-founded Anduril in 2017, and it is based in Costa Mesa, California.

Company size
10,001+
Company stage
Private
Total funding
$11.5B
Headquarters
Costa Mesa, CA
Founded
2017

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