Lead Manufacturing Engineer, Missiles

Anduril Anduril · Defense · Costa Mesa, CA · Manufacturing : Manufacturing

Lead Manufacturing Engineer for Anduril's Missiles team, focusing on developing and optimizing manufacturing processes for defense hardware from prototyping to full-scale production. This role involves team leadership, cross-functional collaboration, quality management, and driving continuous improvement initiatives.

What you'd actually do

  1. Execute the manufacturing of a certain product or set of products, from initial prototyping through large full-scale production.
  2. Lead a team responsible for delivering on-time completion of development and production units within a product group.
  3. Work with design engineers during the development process to drive design for manufacturing best practices into the design effort, and help facilitate the transition from design to prototype to rate production.
  4. Act as a manufacturing lead for mechanical fabrication and avionics with subject matter expertise in these areas and key experience in design for manufacturability.
  5. Own documentation required for successfully manufacturing product group hardware at scale, such as MBOM’s, work instructions & requirements, etc.

Skills

Required

  • Manufacturing process development
  • Team leadership
  • Cross-functional collaboration
  • Quality management
  • Cost reduction
  • Efficiency improvement
  • New product development
  • Production scaling
  • Design for Manufacturability (DFM)
  • Mechanical fabrication
  • Avionics
  • Documentation (MBOMs, work instructions)
  • Supply chain management
  • Vendor management
  • Capacity planning
  • Continuous improvement
  • Production and test methodologies
  • Technical degree (engineering, math, hard science)
  • 8+ years manufacturing/prototyping experience
  • Team leadership experience
  • Mission assurance
  • Quality
  • Attention to detail
  • Hardware manufacturing experience (machining, fabrication, soldering, assembly)
  • Ability to obtain U.S. Secret security clearance

Nice to have

  • Experience building/transforming production organizations
  • Large-scale change management
  • Harness & PCBA fabrication
  • SMT processes
  • Fast-paced, complex project leadership
  • R/C and/or autonomous flight vehicles
  • Flight controllers
  • Control systems
  • Software scripting
  • Current active U.S. Secret security clearance

What the JD emphasized

  • lead manufacturing engineering team
  • drive process improvements
  • ensure the highest quality of production
  • support the development and implementation of new products
  • optimize manufacturing processes
  • reducing costs
  • increasing efficiencies
  • developing new products
  • scaling to full scale production
  • manufacturing lead
  • subject matter expertise
  • key experience in design for manufacturability
  • Uphold and advise on quality management
  • Facilitate make versus buy decisions
  • coordinate with internal supply chain teams
  • manage vendors
  • Collaborate with internal customers
  • define capacity planning actions
  • Analyze metrics for continuous improvement initiatives
  • cost reduction
  • QI reduction
  • capacity increase
  • Instill a culture of innovation, teamwork, and accountability
  • Develop production and test methodologies
  • implement best practices
  • scaling production capabilities
  • Travel to suppliers and partner sites
  • sourcing work
  • solve ongoing production issues
  • implement process procedures
  • Degree in a technical field such as engineering, math, or a hard science.
  • 8+ years in manufacturing or similar prototyping position.
  • Demonstrated in-kind or direct team leadership skills, with backing examples.
  • An attitude of world-class mission assurance, quality, attention to detail, and dedication.
  • A genuine interest in manufacturing and thirst for learning.
  • Demonstrated ability to creatively deliver hardware in a resource-constrained environment.
  • Personal experience physically manufacturing hardware via any means (machining, fabrication, soldering, assembly, etc.).
  • Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance