Staff Project Engineer, AD&S

Job description

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. Job Description: Staff Project Engineer, Manufacturing Engineering Costa Mesa, CA 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 real-time, 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 JOB Anduril’s Air Dominance & Strike (AD&S) Manufacturing Engineering team is seeking a Staff Project Engineer to drive the execution of Manufacturing Development Plan (MDP) and Product Development Process (PDP) stage gate deliverables across all AD&S programs. This role spans both Air Strike and Air Dominance product lines — from cruise missiles and loitering munitions to autonomous aircraft — and is responsible for ensuring that manufacturing engineering milestones are met on time, with the right content, at every gate. This is not a program management role. You are a seasoned manufacturing engineer who understands what good looks like at every stage of product development, and you will use that expertise to drive the quality and completeness of stage gate deliverables across the organization. You will work directly with Product Program Managers, Program Managers, Chief Engineers, and Manufacturing Engineering managers and their teams to prepare, review, and deliver stage gate review decks and presentations. You are the person who ensures nothing falls through the cracks between what the process requires and what the teams actually deliver. Beyond stage gate execution, you will serve as the Manufacturing Engineering representative on ad-hoc, cross-functional projects — stepping in wherever design, quality, supply chain, or operations needs an experienced ME perspective to drive a problem to resolution. This role demands someone who builds relationships fast, earns trust across functions, and gets things done without needing to be told twice. WHAT YOU’LL DO • Own the execution of MDP and PDP stage gate deliverables for manufacturing engineering across all AD&S programs, ensuring completeness, technical accuracy, and on-time delivery at every gate. • Work directly with PPMs, PMs, Chief Engineers, and ME managers to prepare and deliver stage gate review decks and presentations that accurately represent manufacturing readiness. • Track and drive the closure of stage gate action items, open risks, and manufacturing readiness gaps across programs. • Serve as the quality bar for ME stage gate content — you know what a strong gate review looks like and you hold teams to that standard. • Coordinate across multiple programs running on different timelines, ensuring each team has the support and structure needed to hit their gates. • Represent Manufacturing Engineering on ad-hoc, cross-functional projects as needed — providing the experienced ME voice in design trades, quality investigations, supply chain decisions, and operational problem-solving. • Build and maintain strong working relationships with design engineering, quality, supply chain, operations, and program management — this role only works if people trust you and want to work with you. • Drive one-off projects to completion, taking ownership from problem definition through resolution without requiring constant direction. • Identify gaps and inconsistencies in stage gate processes and recommend improvements to make the system