Lead Manufacturing Engineer, Avionics

Anduril Industries · Costa Mesa, CA

Level: Manager
Team: Manufacturing
Degree: Preferred
Experience asked: 8+ years
Industry: Aerospace & defense
Posted: 30+ days ago

The role in 30 seconds

A management manufacturing role at Anduril Industries (aerospace & defense) in Costa Mesa, CA. Be a strong partner with Product Quality Engineering to drive and support RCCA burndowns that tackle key issues both internally and externally to EW Production.

They ask for: 8+ years · degree preferred
Tools it names: Machining

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

From the plant jobs report · week of October 26, 2026

Manufacturing Engineer roles in California: typical posted base $111k–$165k.

Median of the low and high ends of 131 live postings that list pay, out of 359 manufacturing engineer openings in California, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.

California plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →

How this role compares

Against 358 other live manufacturing postings in California.

Base pay: Not listed in this posting
Experience asked: More than usual (8+ vs 5+)

Skills these teams ask for most

Tooling 52%
✓ New product launch 50%
Root cause 38%
Automation 35%
CATIA / NX 28%
✓ Machining 27%

✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.

It asks for 8+ years. If you're close, apply anyway: requirements are a wish list. Talk to someone doing this work there first.

At a glance

Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.

How to get in at this plant

Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.

1
Pick 2–3 people on the Manufacturing team at Anduril Industries
We found 2 people at this company and state: 2 in this kind of role. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See them ↓
2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
Write to Kevin → (free)
3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
- How much time do you spend on the floor versus at a desk?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.

This plant: Anduril Industries in Costa Mesa

158 other open roles at this site · 2 people we found in manufacturing roles at Anduril Industries.

Asset Improvement - Electrical Technician · Reliability · Technician
Senior Supplier Quality Engineer · Quality · Senior
Electrical Engineering Technician, Connected Warfare · Reliability
Engineering Technician, Automation · Controls
Materials and Process Engineer, Air Dominance and Strike · Process
Senior Manager, Manufacturing Engineering — Autonomous Airpower · Manufacturing · Manager

All 159 roles at Anduril Industries →

Full description from Anduril IndustriesAs posted on their careers site.Show

Required qualifications

✓Degree in a technical field preferred such as engineering, math, or a hard science.
✓8+ years of experience in a relevant field, preferably manufacturing or design of avionics or electrical systems.
✓Demonstrated ability to creatively deliver avionics hardware in a resource-constrained environment.
✓Demonstrated in-kind or direct team leadership skills, with backing examples.
✓An attitude of world-class mission assurance, quality, attention to detail, and dedication.
✓A genuine interest in manufacturing and thirst for learning.
✓Demonstrated ability to bring up assembly operations for electrical assemblies.
✓Personal experience physically manufacturing hardware via any means (machining, fabrication, soldering, assembly, etc.) Work on personal or extracurricular projects is a plus.
✓Proficient at ERP, CAD, PLM, and FRACAS software.
✓Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export controlled information or facilities.

Preferred qualifications

✓Experience with Avionics or Propulsion Products that require system AI&T (assembly, integration, and test).
✓Hands-on experience with software & firmware flashing or end-of-line testing & troubleshooting.
✓Demonstrated success in scaling product testing and production from tens/hundreds to hundreds/thousands.
✓Skills in cost analysis, cost reduction strategies, and managing production budgets.
✓Software scripting experience in any language.

$147,000 — $196,000 USD

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 .

Protecting Yourself from Recruitment Scams

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.

To ensure your safety and help you navigate your job search with confidence, please keep the following critical points in mind:

No Financial Requests: Anduril will never solicit payment or demand personal financial details (such as banking information, credit card numbers, or social security numbers)

Show full 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.

About the team

Anduril’s Manufacturing team is seeking a Lead Manufacturing Engineer to join our team. The Propulsion Manufacturing Team is responsible for rapidly iterating and building cutting-edge defense hardware for the Core Technologies Platform. This responsibility includes everything in the manufacturing value-chain, including, but not limited to, Design for Manufacturability work, tool design & selection, process creation & optimization, vendor sourcing & interaction, quality planning, and work documentation associated with the hardware that the Manufacturing Engineer owns.

The right person for this role can demonstrate past holistic ownership on solving a technical challenge with a creative, physical, solution that they either personally manufacturing or oversaw manufacturing on, in a fast-paced, resource-limited environment. If you are someone who thrives in such an environment, then this role is for you.

What you’ll do

•Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing team of Electrical Manufacturing Engineers and Specialists with deep product knowledge in avionics PCBA and harnessing fabrication, propulsion testing, turbomachinery, and system integration.
•Leverage expertise in New Product Introduction (NPI) to seamlessly transition PCBA, harnessing, and integration from prototype to high-volume production, optimizing manufacturability and supply chain scalability.
•Be a strong partner with Product Quality Engineering to drive and support RCCA burndowns that tackle key issues both internally and externally to EW Production.
•Collaborate with Design Engineering teams early in the development process to feedback Design For Manufacturability.
•Define workflows with cross functional teams for effective collaboration.
•Collaborate with Design Engineering teams in early to late phases of the development process to provide DFx for smooth NPI transitions.
•Own a portion or all of the manufacturing value chain for a certain product or set of products.
•Develop process flows, breaking down large, complex assemblies into a logical part flow of subassemblies and sub-processes.
•Contribute to end-customer hardware mechanical or electrical design, including interconnects, board fabrication and inspection, etc.