Program Director, Missiles (Production)
Anduril Industries · Costa Mesa, CA
- Level
- Director+
- Team
- Production
- Degree
- Preferred
- Experience asked
- 8+ years
- Industry
- Aerospace & defense
- Posted
- Today
The role in 30 seconds
A director-level production role at Anduril Industries (aerospace & defense) in Costa Mesa, CA. Own the overall financial performance and schedule for the production segment of the business.
- They ask for
- 8+ years · degree preferred
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026
Production Engineer roles in California: typical posted base $122k–$175k.
Median of the low and high ends of 57 live postings that list pay, out of 138 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 137 other live production postings in California.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- More than usual (8+ vs 5+)
Typical $116k–$170k, from 46 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- New product launch 36%
- Lean 30%
- Root cause 29%
- Automation 28%
- Team leadership 23%
- Python 21%
✓ = 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 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
Send a short, curious note
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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
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- 5
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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
What you'll do
- ◆Own the overall financial performance and schedule for the production segment of the business
- ◆Autonomously execute on broad and/or ambiguous
requirements
from internal engineering, customers, and third party corporate partners to own successful delivery of outcomes on multiple programs simultaneously
- ✓Understanding the long term objectives of the business, develop winning strategies that result in meeting Anduril’s business objectives while service the customers needs
- ✓Develop strong, trusting relationships with Anduril’s DOD customers, ensuring we have tight feedback loops that enable us shape solutions, rapidly iterate, and ultimately field solutions faster
- ✓Monitor and manage program progress across cost, schedule, and resource allocation, making tradeoffs that enable us to deliver best-in-class solutions to our customers on-time and on-budget at the stated production capacity rates
- ✓Develop and implement lightweight processes, tools, and metrics for program planning, scope management, risk management, and customer communication to enable Anduril to move rapidly
- ✓Be high ownership on all pieces of work and become a trusted partner and advisor to senior management
- ✓Foster a creative, high-performance culture within the team, and proactively assess team skills versus needs, identifying personnel development or recruitment opportunities to strengthen the team’s capabilities
- ✓Collaborate with finance and business development teams to develop novel pricing strategies for proposals that set Anduril up for long term financial and operational success
- ✓Collaborate with senior management to develop and refine the strategic roadmap for Anduril Air Dominance & Strike R&D investments that underpin the success of our programs
Required qualifications
- ✓Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance
- ✓Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field (technical background preferred)
- ✓Minimum of 8 years experience managing production of complex technical systems
- ✓Proven track record of successfully managing complex, multi-million-dollar production lines and driving their on-time, on-budget performance
- ✓Strong strategic thinking, analytical, and problem-solving abilities with the ability to move seamlessly between tactical and the 30,000 ft level
- ✓Experience coordinating multiple internal and external teams within a complex engineering or technology-focused organization
- ✓Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to present complex information clearly and concisely to diverse audiences
$241,000 — $319,000 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.
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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
The Air Dominance and Strike Division is one of Anduril’s fastest growing, most technically complex divisions. We develop and build collaborative combat aircraft , missiles, and the software that powers these autonomous weapons. We are looking for a Program Director to be part of the leadership team on one of Anduril’s largest production programs. As a Program Director you will lead a significant portion of the product line and will be directly responsible for all elements of cost and schedule performance in assigned area.
About the job
- •Strategic Thinking and Decomposition: Ability to understand the long term objectives of the business, successfully develop a winning strategy that maximizes business objectives, and decompose into near term and long term plans.
- •Execution focused - digging into the details, charting the path and owning the outcome. You will be expected to utilize your technical aptitude in conjunction with your program management, and leadership skills to deliver the best outcome for Anduril and the customer.
- •Finical and Business Acumen: Understand the fundamentals of the business and develop KPIs and goals for departments and teams that drive real outcomes
- •Collaborative partnership - managing customer relationships and shaping the future of the program with the government.
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