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Head of Production, Compute & Comms

Anduril Industries · Costa Mesa, CA

Level
Director+
Team
Production
Degree
Preferred
Experience asked
10+ years
Industry
Aerospace & defense
Posted
30+ days ago

The role in 30 seconds

A director-level production role at Anduril Industries (aerospace & defense) in Costa Mesa, CA. In this role, you will serve as both a strategic leader and a hands-on operator, responsible for defining and driving the future success of the production portfolio and ensuring consistent, flawless execution across engineering, supply chain, and contract.

They ask for
10+ years · degree preferred
Tools it names
AS9100, Casting, Capacity planning, MES

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026

Production Engineer roles in California: typical posted base $122k–$177k.

Median of the low and high ends of 37 live postings that list pay, out of 111 production 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 110 other live production postings in California.

Base pay
Not listed in this posting

Typical $120k–$174k, from 31 postings that list pay.

Experience asked
More than usual (10+ vs 5+)

Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.

Skills these teams ask for most

  • ✓ New product launch 37%
  • Lean 30%
  • Root cause 27%
  • Automation 24%
  • Python 22%
  • Team leadership 22%

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

Stands out: this posting asks for AS9100, Casting, Cost reduction, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.

It asks for 10+ 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. 1

    Pick 2–3 people on the Production team at Anduril Industries

    We found 2 people at this company and state: 1 in this kind of role, 1 leaders. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See them ↓

  2. 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.

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  3. 3

    Turn a reply into a short call

    Questions worth asking about this team:

    • What does a normal week look like on your team?
    • How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
  4. 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. 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

156 other open roles at this site · 2 people we found in production roles at Anduril Industries.

All 157 roles at Anduril Industries →
Full description from Anduril IndustriesAs posted on their careers site.Show

About the role

We are seeking a Head of Production to own the strategic development, operational direction, and execution of production for high-volume compute devices. In this role, you will serve as both a strategic leader and a hands-on operator, responsible for defining and driving the future success of the production portfolio and ensuring consistent, flawless execution across engineering, supply chain, and contract manufacturing. You will own the end-to-end relationship with contract manufacturers (CMs), lead the transition from New Product Introduction (NPI) through to sustained high-rate mass production, and build supply chain resilience — all while ensuring operational excellence, scalability, and adherence to rigorous quality and cost targets.

Required qualifications

  • ✓10+ years of progressive leadership in high-volume production of compute or electronics hardware (servers, data center infrastructure, or comparable devices), scaling products from prototype to full-rate production.
  • ✓Proven track record managing contract manufacturers / EMS partners at scale, including NPI-to-mass-production ramps. Direct ownership of at least one new product ramp through full-rate production.
  • ✓Deep supply chain management expertise — planning, sourcing, risk mitigation, procurement, and warehousing functions essential to high-volume hardware manufacturing.
  • ✓Demonstrated contract negotiation skill with CMs and suppliers (pricing, capacity, SLAs, cost-down).
  • ✓Strong executive presence with the ability to influence and partner with C-level leadership and the board.
  • ✓Experience managing a workforce of 100+ employees across quality, supply chain, manufacturing engineering, operations, and technicians.
  • ✓Experience managing a P&L in a production environment, including capital expenditure forecasting and resource allocation.
  • ✓Demonstrated strategic thinking and strong problem-solving and analytical skills, with the ability to understand how problems and solutions integrate within the broader organization.
  • ✓Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, or related technical field; advanced degree a plus. Equivalent practical experience with a proven track record considered.
  • ✓Must be eligibl
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.

Contract Manufacturer Management (High-Volume Compute)

  • •Own CM Relationships & Performance: Own the relationship, performance, and output of contract manufacturers producing compute devices at high volume. Drive CM communications, onboarding, capacity planning, and new product introduction (NPI) through to mass production ramp.
  • •KPI Management: Establish and manage KPIs across yield, quality, cost, throughput, and on-time delivery; hold CM partners accountable to them. Use data to drive continuous improvement and business impact.
  • •Production Ramps: Lead production ramps and volume transitions across multiple CM sites and geographies, ensuring on-time delivery against aggressive targets.

Supply Chain Management

  • •Supply Chain Strategy: Own supply chain strategy for high-volume production: demand/supply planning, component sourcing, inventory management, and logistics.
  • •Risk & Resilience: Build resilience against component shortages, single-source risk, and geopolitical or lead-time disruption.
  • •Component Sourcing: Partner with procurement and engineering to secure allocation of critical and long-lead components at scale.

Contract Negotiation

  • •Manufacturing Agreements: Negotiate manufacturing agreements, pricing, capacity commitments, SLAs, and cost-down roadmaps with CMs and suppliers.
  • •Commercial Terms: Structure commercial terms that protect margin, ensure supply, and align partner incentives with volume and quality targets.
  • •Cost Reduction: Drive year-over-year cost reduction through negotiation, design-for-cost, and competitive sourcing.

Strategic & Operational Leadership

  • •Executive Partnership: Serve as the production voice to the executive team and board; translate operational status, risk, and trade-offs into clear executive-level recommendations. Act as a key partner to Anduril's SVP of Manufacturing and broader Executive Leadership, contributing to company-wide production strategy and vision.
  • •Cross-Functional Partnership: Partner cross-functionally with Engineering, Product, Procurement, Quality, Program Management, Deployment Operations, and Finance to align production plans with company goals and ensure seamless product maturation and delivery.
  • •Talent & Team Building: Build, lead, and develop a high-performing production/operations organization. Attract, develop, and retain top-tier talent, fostering a culture of ownership and excellence.
  • •Process & Systems Excellence: Establish, mature, and continuously refine manufacturing processes, operational playbooks, and systems to enable efficient scaling and consistent quality.
  • •Digital Manufacturing Infrastructure: Advise on development and oversee implementation of digital technologies — including PLM, ERP, MES, and QMS — that enable production operations to scale efficiently while meeting customer requirements.
  • •Compliance & Standards: Ensure adherence to applicable industry standards (e.g., AS9100D) and all relevant safety, regulatory, and environmental requirements.

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