Mechanical Engineer, Drones

Anduril Anduril · Defense · Costa Mesa, CA · Tactical Recon & Strike

Mechanical Engineer role at Anduril, a defense technology company, focusing on core product development for drones and complex systems. Responsibilities include owning mechanical subsystems from concept to production, performing design analysis (FEA), leading design reviews, prototyping, testing, and root cause investigations. Requires 5+ years of mechanical/design experience, CAD skills, hands-on prototyping, and strong engineering fundamentals. Experience with specific CAD software, GD&T, advanced manufacturing, and flight hardware qualification is preferred.

What you'd actually do

  1. Own complex mechanical subsystems for Anduril's drone products from concept to full rate production
  2. Gather requirements and work through trade studies to determine the best solution
  3. Perform hand calculations and FEA to develop, assess, and optimize designs
  4. Lead design reviews and obtain buy-in from other cross-disciplinary partners
  5. Build prototypes, define and execute hardware test plans, iterate on designs, summarize results and lessons learned

Skills

Required

  • 5+ years of mechanical/design experience
  • CAD skills
  • Proficient in hands-on prototyping
  • Strong understanding of engineering fundamentals in structures, fluids, thermal, and mechanisms
  • Demonstrated project/technical leadership skills
  • Ability to summarize technical content

Nice to have

  • Experience in Solidworks or NX, and PLM systems
  • Solid understanding and application of GD&T
  • Advanced designing skills for CNC machining, composites, sheet metal, injection molding, PCBA integration
  • Outstanding leadership and interpersonal skills
  • Familiarity with running a qualification campaign for flight hardware
  • Familiarity with designing for rugged environments
  • Experience with electro-mechanical and electrical design concepts
  • Experience with Formula SAE, Baja SAE, Design Build Fly, etc.

What the JD emphasized

  • Demonstrated ownership of a product from concept through production