Materials and Process Engineer, Air Dominance and Strike

Anduril Industries · Costa Mesa, CA

Level: Engineer
Team: Process
Experience asked: 2+ years
Industry: Aerospace & defense
Posted: Yesterday

The role in 30 seconds

An engineer-level process role at Anduril Industries (aerospace & defense) in Costa Mesa, CA. Manufacturing & Integration Support.

They ask for: 2+ years
Tools it names: Root cause, Machining, Painting / coating, Tooling, CATIA / NX

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

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

Process Engineer roles in California: typical posted base $122k–$171k.

Median of the low and high ends of 58 live postings that list pay, out of 96 process 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 95 other live process postings in California.

Base pay: Not listed in this posting
Experience asked: Less than usual (2+ vs 5+)

Skills these teams ask for most

✓ Root cause 47%
DOE 31%
SPC 28%
Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 23%
New product launch 22%
Team leadership 21%

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

Stands out: this posting asks for Machining, CATIA / NX, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.

It asks for 2+ 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 Process team at Anduril Industries
We found 3 people at this company and state: 3 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.
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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.Show

Required qualifications

✓B.S. in Materials Science, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, or related field
✓2+ years of experience in aerospace, defense, or a related industry (internship, co-op, or academic project experience counts toward the lower end)
✓Foundational knowledge of materials science and structural engineering principles
✓Familiarity with manufacturing processes relevant to airframe hardware (bonding, machining, coating, surface finishing, composites, fastening)
✓Willingness to work in a dynamic environment, take direction from senior engineers, and iterate quickly
✓Strong time management, organizational, and communication skills
✓Ability to obtain and maintain a US DoD Secret Clearance or higher

Preferred qualifications

✓Hands-on shop skills, able to fabricate parts and fixtures in-house using mills, lathes, drills, band saws, and standard hand tools
✓Familiarity with structural testing methods and experimentation, including ASTM test standards, load frames, strain gaging, and structural mechanics fundamentals
✓Coursework or project experience in composites design, fabrication, or testing
✓Exposure to Siemens NX or similar CAD
✓Experience with fast-paced prototype fabrication, particularly of uncrewed aircraft
✓Coursework or exposure to high-temperature materials selection
✓Familiarity with material characterization techniques such as FTIR, SEM, TGA, and mechanical testing
✓Practical aircraft knowledge (pilot’s license, A&P, RC/UAV building, etc.)

Per Anduril's expansion plans, we anticipate this job will be based out of Long Beach, CA beginning late 2027.

$101,000 — $135,000 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 int

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

The Air Dominance and Strike Aerostructures Engineering Team designs and analyzes advanced structural parts for Group 5 air vehicles and missile platforms. The team owns the full development lifecycle, from conceptual through detailed design and analysis of primary and secondary structures, building high-performance, resilient, scalable mechanical systems that meet the demands of complex, contested environments. As the M&P engineer on this team, you’ll own the materials and process side of that work: selecting materials, executing processes, and qualifying the metallic and composite hardware that our structures engineers design.

Material & Process Ownership

•Own material selection and compliance for primary and secondary structural parts (metallic and composite) alongside the structures engineers designing them, from preliminary design through prototype manufacturing and production
•Execute against established processes for bonding, surface prep, coatings, fastening, and composite layup on airframe hardware
•Contribute to structural trade studies by weighing material and process choices against weight, performance, manufacturability, cost, and schedule
•Apply design-for-manufacturing thinking so structural solutions are producible at rate

Standards, Documentation & Vendor Interface

•Contribute to material and process standards, approved materials lists, and common procedures used across air vehicle programs
•Author sections of technical documentation such as specifications, procedures, test reports, and vendor requirements, with review and mentorship from senior engineers
•Support review of vendor and subcontractor build records for materials and process compliance

Testing & Characterization

•Design and run testing to characterize materials and process performance, including bond strength, coupon-level mechanicals, and environmental exposure
•Coordinate with internal and external test labs on characterization and failure analysis
•Reduce and analyze test data, draw defensible engineering conclusions, and communicate them clearly to structures and manufacturing engineering

Manufacturing & Integration Support

•Provide onsite engineering support at manufacturing and integration sites, including root-causing process issues, dispositioning non-conformances, and closing loops with structures and manufacturing
•Support failure reviews and root cause investigations alongside more senior engineers