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Senior DFx Engineer, Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Anduril· Manufacturing : Manufacturing
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Costa Mesa, CA$146k - $194kfull-timePosted 4w ago

About the role

Senior DFx Engineer focused on design for manufacturability, assembly, and cost across mechanical, structural, thermal management, and fluid systems for Anduril's AD&S programs, including autonomous aircraft, cruise missiles, and loitering munitions.

Responsibilities

  • Execute DFx analysis across mechanical, structural, thermal, and fluid systems subsystems for AD&S programs, with a primary focus on manufacturability, assembly, and cost.
  • Participate in and help lead structured DFM/DFA/DFC reviews at key design milestones, applying rigorous scoring to identify producibility and cost risks and drive design changes before they reach production.
  • Participate in and help lead/facilitate DFMEAs with cross-functional teams. Use FMEA outputs to drive design changes, inspection strategies, and control plans.
  • Work directly with SME manufacturing engineers and design engineers to evaluate designs, translate manufacturing constraints into actionable feedback, and support design trades that balance performance, producibility, and cost.
  • Support the selection and qualification of contract manufacturers for machined components, fabrications, composite structures, thermal hardware, and fluid system assemblies — assessing supplier manufacturing capability, process maturity, and cost competitiveness against DFx requirements.
  • Participate in supplier manufacturing assessments including facility reviews, process audits, and capability evaluations.
  • Contribute to should-cost models and cost-driver analyses for mechanical and fluid system assemblies, identifying design changes that reduce unit cost without compromising quality or performance.
  • Develop and maintain DFx standards, guidelines, and scorecards specific to mechanical manufacturing processes including CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, welding, brazing, composite layup and bonding, tube bending and swaging, and mechanical assembly.
  • Analyze designs across key lenses — manufacturability/assembly, cost structure, adherence to specification, process capability, and technology maturity — to contribute to quantified risk assessments that inform engineering and program decisions.
  • Evaluate thermal management and fluid system designs for producibility — including tube routing, fitting selection, seal and joint design, heat exchanger fabrication, and cleanliness requirements.
  • Partner with supply chain to align DFx requirements with sourcing strategy, ensuring that designs are producible by the suppliers we intend to use.
  • Collaborate with quality engineering to ensure DFx findings flow into inspection plans, acceptance criteria, and supplier quality requirements.
  • Close the loop between production floor feedback, supplier performance data, and upstream design improvements.
  • Contribute to the DFx toolkit — templates, scoring rubrics, cost models, lessons-learned databases, and training materials — so that DFx knowledge scales across the organization.
  • Travel to production sites, contract manufacturers, and supplier facilities (~20%, depending on business needs).

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.
  • 8+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering, producibility engineering, or DFx with a significant focus on mechanical systems, thermal management, or fluid systems — with specialty expertise in at least one of these domains.
  • Strong working knowledge of mechanical manufacturing processes: CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, welding, brazing, composite layup and cure, bonding, casting, forging, and complex mechanical assembly.
  • Experience participating in or leading DFM/DFA reviews and translating findings into measurable design improvements that reduce cost and improve producibility.
  • Experience supporting contract manufacturer evaluations — including facility assessments, process capability reviews, or production readiness evaluations.
  • Understanding of cost drivers in mechanical and fluid system production, with exposure to should-cost modeling or cost analysis.
  • Ability to read and critically evaluate mechanical drawings, GD&T, 3D models, and assembly documentation for producibility and cost impact.
  • Working knowledge of relevant standards and specifications for aerospace mechanical and fluid systems.
  • Proven ability to work cross-functionally across design engineering, manufacturing engineering, supply chain, quality, and operations.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present DFx and cost findings to engineering teams and drive alignment on design changes.
  • Comfortable working across multiple programs simultaneously in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
  • Personal experience in a machine shop, fabrication shop, or on a production floor working with mechanical hardware. Hands-on credibility matters.
  • Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export controlled information or facilities.

Skills

Required:DFx analysisDFM/DFA/DFC reviewsDFMEAsSupplier/contract manufacturer evaluation

Benefits

  • Benefits package including health, recovery, and related support (details in the company benefits page).
  • Top-tier benefits for full-time employees available at little to no cost to employees.
Last updated Sep 30, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

About Anduril

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