Senior Program Manager, Product Operations

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

Seeking a Senior Program Manager for Product Operations at Anduril Industries, a defense technology company. This role focuses on maturing products for high-rate production, optimizing operations, and leading internal transformation initiatives. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in process excellence, data-driven decision-making, and cross-functional project management within complex hardware industries. The role supports the Tactical Recon & Strike (TRS) division, which builds autonomous drones and solid rocket motors.

What you'd actually do

  1. Act as an internal strike team leader to identify, analyze, and resolve the most complex operational, manufacturing, and business process issues that impede product maturity and scalability.
  2. Own the operational strategy for transitioning products from development to stable production. You will drive initiatives in operational excellence, Design for Manufacturability (DFM), process validation (IQ/OQ/PQ), and production readiness reviews.
  3. Implement and champion a culture of continuous improvement using methodologies like Lean Six Sigma and DMAIC. Drive initiatives to improve production efficiency, reduce cost of goods sold (COGS), and enhance overall product quality.
  4. Lead high-priority, cross-functional projects that span engineering, supply chain, manufacturing, quality, and finance. You will be responsible for defining project scope, building the plan, and ensuring outcomes are achieved on an accelerated timeline.
  5. Develop and implement key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics to monitor process health, identify risks, and provide transparent status updates to executive leadership on project status, risks, and milestones.

Skills

Required

  • program management
  • operations
  • manufacturing
  • process excellence
  • continuous improvement methodologies
  • product maturation lifecycle
  • low-rate initial production
  • full-rate scalable manufacturing
  • analytical skills
  • problem-solving skills
  • data-driven decision-making
  • ambiguous environments
  • fast-paced environments
  • complex multi-disciplinary projects
  • on-time delivery
  • on-budget delivery
  • manufacturing processes
  • supply chain management
  • quality systems
  • production workflows
  • communication skills
  • leadership abilities
  • cross-functional team alignment
  • stakeholder management
  • security clearance eligibility

Nice to have

  • Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification
  • internal consulting
  • business transformation
  • strategic operations
  • launching new factories
  • production lines

What the JD emphasized

  • Six Sigma Black Belt
  • process optimization
  • operational excellence
  • continuous improvement
  • Design for Manufacturability (DFM)
  • supply chain stability
  • manufacturability
  • reliability
  • cost-effectiveness
  • process validation (IQ/OQ/PQ)
  • production readiness reviews
  • Lean Six Sigma
  • DMAIC
  • reduce cost of goods sold (COGS)
  • product quality
  • Cross-Functional Initiative Management
  • engineering
  • supply chain
  • manufacturing
  • quality
  • finance
  • accelerated timeline
  • Data-Driven Operations
  • key performance indicators (KPIs)
  • metrics
  • process health
  • risks
  • executive leadership
  • project status
  • risks
  • milestones
  • Risk Identification & Mitigation
  • systemic risks
  • scale production
  • customer demands
  • Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification