Manager, Manufacturing Engineering - Autonomous Airpower

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 ROLE
As the Manufacturing Engineering Manager for a new Autonomous Airpower aircraft program, you will build and lead the manufacturing engineering team from the ground up — from early prototyping through transition to full-rate production. This is a working-manager role: especially in the early phase of the program, you'll be deeply hands-on, driving technical program decisions, authoring processes, and making DFM calls alongside the team you're building. As the program and team scale, your focus will shift toward strategic planning, cross-functional leadership, and growing the next generation of manufacturing engineers.
This role is based in Costa Mesa, California, with a planned move to Anduril's Long Beach office when it opens. You will work closely with the Autonomous Airpower chief engineers, program management, growth, supply chain, and the broader AD&S Manufacturing Engineering organization to make sure what Design engineers create can be built reliably, repeatedly, and at scale.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
Build and lead the manufacturing engineering team for a new Autonomous Airpower aircraft program — hiring, structuring the team, setting goals, providing technical direction, and evaluating performance.
Act as a working manager — stay close to the engineering work, make technical program decisions, and own key manufacturing engineering deliverables yourself, especially during the early phase of the program when the team is lean.
Develop and execute strategic plans for production capabilities, incorporating new technologies, methodologies, and automation across the aircraft's manufacturing lifecycle.
Partner with chief engineers and design engineering during all phases of development — from concept trades and DFM input through design reviews, prototype and first-article builds, LRIP, and transition to full-rate production.
Own documentation required to successfully manufacture aircraft hardware at scale, including work instructions, inspection plans and requirements, MBOMs, and process documentation.
Drive production readiness activities — process capability assessments, tooling readiness, MBOM maturity, and rate-readiness planning.
Lead the selection, installation, and commissioning of new manufacturing equipment, tooling, and processes, ensuring optimal integration into the production line.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives that result in cost reduction, quality enhancement, and throughput maximization across the program.
Manage budgets and forecast future manufacturing needs across personnel, equipment, tooling, and materials.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams — program management, supply chain, operations, quality, and leadership — to drive production readiness and successful program execution.
Serve as the technical expert and point of contact for manufacturing engineering issues on the program, providing guidance and support to resolve complex problems.
Analyze production metrics and performance data to identify trends and opportunities for improvement.
Interface with external customers in communicating the manufacturing strategy and plans for building the aircraft from development to full-rate production.
Foster a culture of innovation, teamwork, and accountability within the manufacturing engineering organization.
Ensure compliance with all safety, quality, and regulatory requirements within the manufacturing process.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering.
Minimum 7+ years of manufacturing engineering experience in aerospace, defense, or complex hardware production environments, with at least 3 years in a managerial or technical lead role.
Demonstrated experience developing products from scratch and scaling to production — ideally on aircraft or complex aerospace vehicle programs.
Proven track record of cradle-to-grave ownership — from design input through process development, work instruction authoring, tooling definition, and production support.
Experience hiring, developing, and leading manufacturing engineering teams.
Experience driving process improvements and production readiness in a manufacturing setting.
Strong DFM/DFA instincts — demonstrated ability to influence design decisions for manufacturability.
Excellent project management skills and experience leading cross-functional projects.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively at all levels of the organization.
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-p