Field Operations Engineer, Deployment Handling

Anduril Industries · Santa Ana, CA

Level: Engineer
Team: Production
Travel: 50%
Degree: Required (or equivalent experience)
Experience asked: 2+ years
Industry: Aerospace & defense
Posted: 2 days ago

The role in 30 seconds

An engineer-level production role at Anduril Industries (aerospace & defense) in Santa Ana, CA. Assist with design of ground handling fixtures for vehicle movement, lifting, and transport interface.

They ask for: 2+ years · degree required (or equivalent experience)
Tools it names: Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ), Robotics, Tooling, EHS / safety
Day to day: about 50% travel

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

It asks for 2+ years. If you're close, apply anyway: requirements are a wish list. Talk to someone on the team first.

At a glance

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Your game plan for this job

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1
Find 2–3 people on the Production team at this site
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply most.
2
Send a short, curious note
Ask about the work, not for a referral. We write it for you.
3
Have a 15-minute chat
Good questions for this role:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- The posting says about 50% travel. Between which sites?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
4
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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.

About the role

What you'll do

◆Assist with design of ground handling fixtures for vehicle movement, lifting, and transport interface
◆Select and procure ground support equipment including cranes, dollies, and custom handling tools
◆Develop handling procedures, lift plans, and safety protocols for field operations
◆Conduct hazard analyses and safety reviews for vehicle handling operations
◆Develop personnel training for ground handling tasks
◆Support handling operations at deployment sites in the field
◆Coordinate with logistics and deployment teams to integrate handling into operational workflows launch and recovery system design and hardware selection
◆Develop operational procedures for launch and recovery at sea
◆Perform analysis of dynamic loads, sea state limitations, and safety margins
◆Interface with vehicle mechanical design on L&R attachment points and interfaces
◆Support at-sea testing and validation of L&R systems
◆Contribute to training materials for L&R operations
◆Travel up to 50% to test sites and operational locations
◆Design and specify ground handling fixtures for vehicle movement, lifting, and transport interface
◆Coordinate with logistics and deployment teams to integrate handling into operational workflows

Required qualifications

✓Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Ocean Engineering, Naval Architecture, or equivalent
✓2+ years of experience with launch and recovery systems, marine handling equipment, or shipboard operations
✓Familiarity with davit systems, cranes, or other marine handling equipment
✓Understanding of dynamic loads and sea state effects on marine operations
✓Willingness to travel up to 50%, including extended deployments.
✓Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance
✓2+ years of experience in material handling, ground support equipment, or field operations
✓Experience designing or procuring handling fixtures or lift equipment
✓Familiarity with heavy lift safety

requirements

and lift planning

✓Submarine maintenance experience
✓Ability to work in field environments and travel in support of operations

Preferred qualifications

✓Experience with AUV, UUV, or ROV launch and recovery
✓Working knowledge of host vessel integration for unmanned systems
✓Experience with at-sea operations in defense or commercial maritime
✓Familiarity with naval architecture stability considerations during L&R
✓Experience in defense or maritime robotics
✓Experience with maritime or aerospace ground handling equipment
✓Background in defense field operations or military equipment handling
✓Familiarity with OSHA lift safety and rigging standards
✓Experience developing handling procedures and safety analyses

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 Maritime Division is transforming American sea power to meet the defining national security challenges of our era and secure our future of maritime dominance.

We are scaling at an historic pace, anchored by Arsenal-2, our new software-defined shipyard being built in Baltimore County, Maryland. It's part of a new $6.6 billion investment in America's submarine industrial base.

Arsenal-2 is purpose-built to break long-standing industrial bottlenecks and scale production of critical components for the Navy's Virginia-class attack submarines to support fleet requirements. At the same time, it will build the industrial muscle to field our Next-generation AUVs at scale.

We aren't waiting for the new shipyard to be completed. The work on this transformation starts right now, with development inside our new 160,000 square foot Proto-Factory in Orange County, California, where the team is already laying the foundation. As the prototyping hub for Arsenal-2, this facility gives us a multi-year head start, proving out the advanced manufacturing methods, digital workflows, and quality systems that will scale across our broader shipyard network.

In Anduril's Maritime Division, we are actively building America's next decisive advantage at sea—and this is the moment to join us.

About the job

The Deployment Handling engineer owns ground handling procedures and equipment for autonomous maritime vehicle movement at deployment sites. You will design handling fixtures, select and specify ground support equipment, develop handling procedures, and ensure vehicles are moved safely between transport, storage, and water. You will own launch and recovery for maritime autonomous vehicles. Reporting to the Deployment Lead, you will design assist with designing L&R systems, define host vessel interfaces, and develop operational procedures that enable safe deployment and retrieval at sea across a range of conditions.

Your spectrum of support will be diverse in nature and require you to leverage your technical expertise as well as leadership skills to set objectives, build cross-functional teams, and rapidly drive to completion. The ability to leverage your intuition and prior experience will be key in making sure the right design, analysis, and test steps are completed to ensure success. The ideal candidate will leverage their experience executing and successfully completing prior highly optimized multi-disciplinary projects.