Systems Engineering Manager, Mission Autonomy
Anduril Industries · Costa Mesa, CA
- Level
- Manager
- Team
- Manufacturing
- Experience asked
- 10+ years
- Industry
- Aerospace & defense
- Posted
- 16 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A management manufacturing role at Anduril Industries (aerospace & defense) in Costa Mesa, CA. Build a team with deep understanding of Anduril platforms, autonomy, simulation, and perception products through the creation and maintenance of systems engineering artifacts.
- They ask for
- 10+ years
- Tools it names
- Automation
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 (10+ 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.
Stands out: this posting asks for Python, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with 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
Requirements
Based Testing artifacts which will be used in support of product development, delivery, and sustainment of advanced mission autonomy systems.
Required qualifications
- ✓B.S. in aerospace, mechanical, computer science or similar engineering or technical field
- ✓10+ years Systems Engineering Experience across the life cycle.
- ✓Demonstrated ability developing autonomy solutions for commercial or defense applications
- ✓Demonstrated ability integrating and testing autonomy solutions as part of higher level vehicle behavior
- ✓Demonstrated ability with requirements-based testing frameworks
- ✓Experience managing multiple teams up to 15 engineers
- ✓Experience designing systems using MBSE methods in SysML
- ✓Outstanding communication skills to include presentation of developed artifacts
- ✓Experience with software development and associated tools/infrastructure (Github, CI/CD pipelines, etc)
- ✓Experience advocating for systems engineering practices in adverse or indifferent internal work environments
- ✓Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Top Secret security clearance
Preferred qualifications
- ✓Currently possesses and is able to maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance
- ✓Experience defining or implementing Mission Autonomy behaviors through UCI
- ✓Experience with automation in Cameo or Python relevant to Systems Engineering use cases
$191,000 — $253,000 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) at any stage of our hiring process. Our legitimate recruitment is entirely free for candidates.
- ✓Please always verify communications:
- ✓Direct from Anduril: If you receive an email from one of our recruiters, it will only come from an @anduril.com address.
- ✓Via Agency Partner: If contacted by a recruiting agency for an Anduril role, their email will clearly identify their agency. If you suspect any suspicious activity, please verify the agency's authenticity by reaching out to contact@anduril.com .
Exercise Caution with Unsolicited Outreach: If you receive any communication that appears suspicious, contains grammatical errors, or makes unusual requests, do not engage. Always confirm the sender's email domain is @anduril.com before providing any personal information or clicking on links.
What to Do If You Suspect Fraud: Should you encounter any questionable or fraudulent outreach claiming to be from Anduril, please report it immediately to contact@anduril.com . Your proactive caution is invaluable in protecting your personal information and upholding the security and trustworthiness of our recruitment efforts.
Data Privacy
To view Anduril's candidate data privacy policy, please visit https://anduril.com/applicant-privacy-notice/ .
By submitting your application, you consent to Anduri
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
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
We are working on cutting-edge autonomous airpower systems that need to operate in the most demanding environments. To support our development and deployment tasks, we are building a Systems Engineering team to guide Digital Engineering strategy and complement our Mission Software Engineering, Product Engineering, and Business Development teams. This team will provide Model Based Systems Engineering and
What you’ll do
- •Mange the Anduril Group 5 Mission Autonomy Systems Engineering homeroom
- •Own Group 5 Mission Autonomy business outcomes
- •Advocate for systems engineering rigor in a high-paced software engineering environment
- •Collaborate with other systems engineering and software engineering leads
- •Develop systems engineering frameworks and processes that streamline artifact delivery across multiple programs
- •Build a team with deep understanding of Anduril platforms, autonomy, simulation, and perception products through the creation and maintenance of systems engineering artifacts
