Senior Mechanical Engineer: Mechanisms, Space

Anduril Anduril · Defense · Costa Mesa, CA · Hardware Engineering : Mechanical Engineering

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company developing advanced military systems. This Senior Mechanical Engineer role focuses on designing and building mechanisms for space payloads, requiring experience with space hardware, mechatronics, and high-reliability design. The role involves owning hardware design from concept to launch, including testing, documentation, and mentoring junior engineers. Experience with Python, MATLAB, or C++ for analytical models and data acquisition is also required.

What you'd actually do

  1. Create mechanisms (optical focus, shutters, filter wheels, etc.) for space payloads ranging from small cameras to large telescopes that survive the launch and space environments
  2. Select, procure, and rigorously test (e.g., environmental, accelerated life) actuators and sensors; this includes architecting test plans, overseeing test setup development, characterizing performance, and reporting findings to inform integration
  3. Own hardware design from concept to launch, intelligently pacing design maturity with a holistic program view
  4. Build prototypes, analyze failures, and transition successful designs to flight hardware and low-rate production
  5. Mentor junior engineers

Skills

Required

  • BS or higher degree in engineering or hard science
  • Ability to obtain and hold U.S. Top Secret security clearance
  • 5+ years of mechanism design experience with space hardware
  • demonstrated track record of success fielding flight hardware
  • Mechatronics experience
  • Coding experience in Python, MATLAB, or C++ for analytical models, data acquisition/automation
  • Experience using microcontrollers for prototyping such as Arduino, RasPi, STM, or other
  • Experience with high-reliability design, athermalization, and vibration/shock resistance
  • Experience with mechanical alignments, kinematic mounting, and qualification test campaigns
  • Excellent attention to detail, highly motivated, self-starting, and autonomous
  • Organized with ability to define scope and requirements for ambiguous problems

Nice to have

  • Hands-on technical project experience (academic, extracurricular, or personal)
  • Experience in related industries
  • Structural or thermal testing experience
  • CAD proficiency and ability to create engineering drawings meeting industry standards
  • Hands-on fabrication and assembly skills with hand tools, mill, lathe, etc.
  • Strong fundamentals in optics, heat transfer, statics, solid mechanics, and materials

What the JD emphasized

  • demonstrated track record of success fielding flight hardware
  • Ability to obtain and hold U.S. Top Secret security clearance