Chief Engineer, Containerized Effects

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.

ABOUT THE JOB

We are seeking a Chief Engineer to serve as the lead systems architect and technical authority across our Containerized Effects (CE), Containerized Autonomous Mission Platform (CAMP), and Advanced Expeditionary Systems (AES) product lines. As Chief Engineer, you will lead the end-to-end architecture and technical delivery across modular containerized systems-including missile launchers, high-power microwave/directed energy vectors, and sensor payloads. Your leadership will bridge hardware, firmware, software, and mission systems while balancing customer requests and third-party payload integrations to ensure our expeditionary systems are robust, production-ready, and field-deployable.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Own the end-to-end system architecture: Lead the architecture and technical delivery across containerized effects, launcher platforms, modular payload bays, and expeditionary mission systems, abstracting power, data, networking, and control into common, reusable frameworks .
• Define interfaces and open standards: Define standardized APIs, data models, and Interface Control Documents (ICDs) that abstract complex payloads into reusable mission services aligned with Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) principles .
• Lead cross-functional engineering execution: Drive end-to-end execution from concept through production across mechanical, electrical, firmware, and software engineering teams .
• Partner with OEMs, mission partners, and customers: Act as the primary technical interface for government PMOs, operational evaluators, and third-party payload suppliers (e.g., Air Force, Navy, Raytheon, Epirus, Draper), translating complex operational requests into structured engineering deliverables .
• Lead formal verification and acceptance: Oversee formal acceptance testing regimens (FAT/SAT) tracked in JAMA/Jira, manage SDRLs/CDRLs, and partner with program management to achieve government acceptance and DD250 execution.
• Lead root-cause issue remediation: Drive technical root-cause corrective action (RCCA) for complex anomalies identified during field testing, range events, and operational demos (such as motion enable issues or operator interventions).
• Architect compute and mission software integration: Guide the integration of tactical edge compute modules, Platform-in-a-Box (PIAB) test environments, and Lattice mission command software across CUI and classified enclaves.
• Technical leadership and governance: Interface directly with internal senior leadership and represent the business with technical decision-making authority within the scope of product engineering .

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical or electrical engineering, computer science, systems engineering, or related field required .
• 10+ years of experience in complex system architecture, hardware-software integration, and multidisciplinary product delivery .
• 5+ years of experience leading multi-disciplined engineering teams developing software-enabled hardware products .
• Demonstrated experience acting as the primary engineering contact for external and internal technical stakeholders, government PMOs, or payload partners .
• Direct experience leading systems through formal verification, acceptance testing (FAT/SAT), environmental qualification, and government DD250 delivery processes.
• Hands-on experience developing and managing Interface Control Documents (ICDs), data models, and open architecture standards (MOSA) .
• Strong technical breadth across mechanical structures, electrical power conversion/distribution, embedded systems, and networked software .
• Must be able to travel up to 25% of the time .

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master of Science degree in mechanical, electrical, or systems engineering, computer science, or related field .
• Strong technical, analytical, and quantitative skills with the ability to use data and metrics to back up assumptions, recommendations, and drive decisions .
• Experience with tools like JIRA, Confluence, and JAMA .
• Exposure to defense programs, containerized payloads, missile systems, directed energy, or unmanned maritime/ground platform integration .
• Holds an Active Secret Clearance or higher (TS/SCI eligible) .

US Salary Range

$260,000—$302,000 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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Anduril is committed to maintaining the integrity of our Talent acquisition process and the security of our candidates. We've observed a rise in sophisticated phishing and fraudulent schemes where individuals impersonate Anduril representatives, luring job seekers with false interviews or job offers. These scammers often attempt to extract payment or sensitive personal information.

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