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Chief Engineer, Autonomous Flight

Anduril· Air Dominance & Strike : Mission Autonomy Engineering : Mission Software Engineering
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Hybrid (Costa Mesa + Seattle + DC)$220k - $330kfull-timePosted 2mo ago

About the role

Lead the technical architecture and system-level design of the onboard autonomy stack, command and control systems, and modular payloads for next-generation autonomous platforms, guiding lean, multi-disciplinary teams from concept to deployment in software-heavy robotics and aerospace programs.

Responsibilities

  • Lead systems engineering, requirements decomposition, and technical architecture for software-heavy robotics systems.
  • Guide small, fast-moving groups of individual contributors through the design, implementation, and deployment phases of emerging programs.
  • Oversee hardware/software integration and testing (simulation, hardware-in-the-loop, and field testing) to ensure perception, motion planning, and task allocation algorithms run seamlessly on physical platforms.
  • Partner with Product Managers and Business Development to convert customer mission needs and operational concepts into concrete technical milestones.
  • Decide technical trade-offs across concurrent programs, helping teams prioritize engineering efforts.

Qualifications

  • Proven track record directing technical architecture and guiding individual contributors as a lead engineer.
  • Background in developing and fielding software-heavy robotics, autonomous systems, or aerospace products.
  • Strong hardware/software integration skills, including robotics software architectures and tactical mission systems.
  • Experience with autonomous systems, mission-critical Department of Defense systems, or tactical edge technologies.
  • Travel: Ability to travel up to 25% to customer sites and field testing locations.
  • Education: BS, MS, or PhD in Robotics, Aerospace, ME, EE, CS, or equivalent.
  • Security Clearance: Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret clearance.

Skills

Required:Technical architecture leadershipRobotics software integrationAutonomous systems experience
Nice to have:Mission autonomy software

Benefits

  • Top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including health and recovery support (comprehensive benefits package).
Last updated Sep 9, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

About Anduril

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