Mechanical Engineer, Drones

Mechanical Engineer, Drones

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 Team

Anduril's Tactical Recon & Strike (TRS) is a division with two missions: 1) build highly capable autonomous drones, and 2) build solid rocket motors at scale. We transform products like Ghost, Anvil, Bolt, and Altius from early concepts into fully operational capabilities by partnering closely with specialist engineering, operations, and production teams. Through our Anduril Rocket Motor Systems (RMS) team, we design and manufacture solid rocket motors using advanced materials, proprietary formulations, and high-volume production methods—delivering safe, reliable propulsion systems that support a wide range of mission requirements. TRS hires software engineers & hardware engineers, who are excited to build across a diverse and powerful portfolio—from autonomous aerial systems to high-performance solid rocket motors. Our teams contribute to highly capable autonomous robotics systems and propulsion products that operate reliably in the most demanding mission environment.

About The Job

Anduril is seeking a Mechanical Engineer to join the team at our Costa Mesa HQ. Here you will work on core product development for drones and complex systems, including but not limited to optical gimbals, batteries, mechanisms, structures, sensors and payloads. The role requires high ownership and frequent collaboration with other core disciplines. The ideal candidate would be practical, hands-on and a self starter. High growth potential is possible as well as additional leadership opportunities.

What You'll Do

Own complex mechanical subsystems for Anduril's drone products from concept to full rate production

Gather requirements and work through trade studies to determine the best solution

Perform hand calculations and FEA to develop, assess, and optimize designs

Lead design reviews and obtain buy-in from other cross-disciplinary partners

Build prototypes, define and execute hardware test plans, iterate on designs, summarize results and lessons learned

Perform root cause investigations for hardware failures in development and production

Balance operational needs across vehicle subsystems while optimizing for development speed, mass, manufacturability, and cost

Support critical hardware demonstrations with customers as needed

Travel to test sites and vendors as needed

Required Qualifications

2+ years of mechanical/design experience in a professional setting

Demonstrated ownership of a product from concept through production

CAD skills (any platform) and ability to make high quality engineering drawings that meet industry standards

Proficient in hands-on prototyping (machining, shop tools, welding, soldering)

Strong understanding of engineering fundamentals in structures, fluids, thermal, and mechanisms

Demonstrated project/technical leadership skills (collegiate project teams or professional settings)

Ability to summarize technical content in a cohesive way to help inform and shape future requirements

BS or MS in mechanical engineering, or equivalent work experience

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in Solidworks or NX, and PLM systems

Solid understanding and application of GD&T

Advanced designing skills for CNC machining, composites, sheet metal, injection molding, PCBA integration

Outstanding leadership and interpersonal skills

Familiarity with running a qualification campaign for flight hardware

Familiarity with designing for rugged environments

Experience with electro-mechanical and electrical design concepts

Experience with Formula SAE, Baja SAE, Design Build Fly, etc.