Director, Program Test & Evaluation Engineering - Advanced Effects
Anduril Industries · Costa Mesa, CA
- Level
- Director+
- Team
- Manufacturing
- Degree
- Required (or equivalent experience)
- Experience asked
- 12+ years
- Industry
- Aerospace & defense
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A director-level manufacturing role at Anduril Industries (aerospace & defense) in Costa Mesa, CA. If you are interested in working in an extremely innovative and fast-paced environment, where your work directly makes an impact and difference in the products that are fielded, this is a fantastic opportunity.
- They ask for
- 12+ years · degree required (or equivalent experience)
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Manufacturing Engineer roles in California: typical posted base $114k–$167k.
Median of the low and high ends of 117 live postings that list pay, out of 320 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 319 other live manufacturing postings in California.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- More than usual (12+ vs 5+)
Typical $111k–$157k, from 105 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- Tooling 53%
- ✓ New product launch 51%
- Root cause 40%
- Automation 35%
- Machining 29%
- CATIA / NX 29%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
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
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Full description from Anduril IndustriesAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
About the role
This position is looking for a highly motivated Director of Test & Evaluation Engineering with emphasis in developmental test, with additional experience performing test lead/manager responsibilities. You will work heavily with the program leadership and a wide spectrum of cross-departments to help build and lead a team focused on solving hard problems and changing the industry forever. Anduril is a rapidly growing company, and the right person for this role should be able to thrive in a fast-paced environment with many competing priorities.
The Test and Evaluation team at Anduril works across the entire spectrum of products and business lines, as well as all flight operations and test range management. Our team conducts full system level development testing, new production acceptance testing, sub-component qualification testing and much more. In short, if it involves test, we support it. If you are interested in working in an extremely innovative and fast-paced environment, where your work directly makes an impact and difference in the products that are fielded, this is a fantastic opportunity.
What you'll do
- ◆Lead a diverse group of individuals, including test engineering and maintenance personnel across multiple UAS and weapon systems
- ◆Develop and execute company leadership directives, including creating unique T&E strategies for integration, planning, execution, and operations, with a focus on solving hard problems and changing the industry
- ◆Manage and guide the technical efforts of flight test engineers and control room personnel, providing direct input to test event planning, preparation, execution, and reporting
- ◆Oversee all test and integration efforts at the system and subsystem levels, ensuring projects are coordinated and test progress status is tracked/communicated
- ◆Interface with program leadership, and managing resource constraints
- ◆Directly contribute to periodic and milestone engineering reviews, facilitating technical discussions between Anduril and customer representatives, and support the Growth and Proposal team during contract shaping, capture, and expansion
- ◆Direct engineering activities, including team building, execution, process, and technical oversight strategies, to achieve program objectives and creative test and evaluation solutions
- ◆When required, plan, execute, and report on lab, ground, and flight tests, overseeing test data collection and performing initial data analysis
- ◆Work with FAA and Military certifying agencies to establish new test range COAs or
requirements
for testing on government-owned ranges, and conduct ground and flight testing at private and government-owned test ranges
- ✓Responsible for observing all laws, regulations, and applicable obligations wherever and whenever business is conducted on behalf of the Company, and work in a safe manner in accordance with established operating procedures and practices
Required qualifications
- ✓A bachelor's degree in engineering or a related technical discipline from an accredited institution, or equivalent engineering experience
- ✓12+ years of experience as a test conductor/director for developmental aircraft and payload integration, or 10+ years of experience as a lead test conductor/test director for developmental weapon or missile systems on manned and/or unmanned aircraft
- ✓Possess a complete understanding of engineering concepts, principles, codes, and theory, with broad application and expansive knowledge of related technical specialties
- ✓Demonstrate the ability to understand new concepts quickly, apply them accurately, organize, schedule, and coordinate work phases, and determine appropriate approaches to solve complex problems at the task or project level
- ✓Experience with surrogate booster motor integration
- ✓Strong understanding of vehicle, payload, and ground safety equipment requirements.
- ✓Familiarity with adjacent missile technology programs and funding opportunities.
- ✓Experience with system engineering or DoD program processes (EVM, MIL-STD-881, etc.).
- ✓Working knowledge of military standards (MIL-STD-8591, MIL-STD-2088, MIL-STD-1553, MIL-STD-1760, AS8775, AS5653, etc.).
- ✓Experience integrating and conducting tests with ground or ship-based launch systems, and with suspension, arming, and release equipment
- ✓Experience working with the Department of Defense (DoD), including knowledge of DCMA INST 8210, MIL-STD-516, and service-related T&E guiding documents, as well as foundational expertise in the National Airspace System and UAS operating rules
- ✓Experience with system engineering or Department of Defense (DoD) program processes (e.g., EVM, MIL-STD-881) and previous working knowledge of relevant MIL-STDs and AS standards
- ✓Experience integrating and conducting tests with suspension, arming, and release equipment, and familiarity with military missile system airworthiness certification standards and processes
- ✓Strong leadership skills with previous experience in leading a team and experience managing individuals or teams
- ✓Ability to travel as required for test planning and execution, and able to work extended hours as required
- ✓Must be able to obtain and maintain an active U.S. security clearance
- ✓A "bias for actio
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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.
