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Senior Mechanical Engineer, Test Fixtures, Thunder

Anduril· Maritime & Maneuver Dominance : Maneuver Dominance Engineering : MD - ME
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Costa Mesa, CA$146k - $194kFull-timePosted 4w ago

About the role

Senior Mechanical Engineer focused on design and build of ground test fixtures, surrogate vehicle systems, and environmental/test rigs for the Thunder autonomous attack rotorcraft program at Anduril in Costa Mesa, CA.

Responsibilities

  • Lead the end-to-end mechanical design, analysis, and build of structural test fixtures, environmental/vibration test adapters, surrogate aircraft frames, and subsystem validation rigs.
  • Take hands-on ownership of prototyping test equipment, operating machine tools, coordinating with internal model shops, and assembling complex ground test setups.
  • Engineer rugged, rigid, and safe fixtures capable of reacting severe static and dynamic flight loads while maintaining precise interface tolerances and metrology alignment.
  • Collaborate with Test, Electrical, and Systems teams to package actuators, load cells, LVDTs, strain gauges, and fluid/power lines seamlessly into test rigs.
  • Partner with machine shops, material suppliers, and outside vendors; chase lead times, resolve manufacturing anomalies, and optimize designs for DFM.
  • Perform rapid stress, deflection, and fatigue calculations to verify structural margins and ensure test fixtures do not influence test article dynamics.
  • Travel to test ranges, environmental labs, and flight line facilities to deploy, troubleshoot, and support ground testing and customer demonstrations.

Qualifications

  • BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
  • 7+ years of professional mechanical engineering experience, with significant focus on mechanical design, structural tooling, test fixtures, or dynamic test equipment.
  • High proficiency in 3D CAD modeling (Siemens NX preferred) and detailed engineering drawing creation adhering to ASME Y14.5 GD&T standards.
  • Strong first-principles foundation in structural mechanics, load paths, structural steel/aluminum design, weldments, and bolt joint analysis.
  • Proven hands-on prototyping and shop fabrication skills (manual/CNC machining, sheet metal, welding, 3D printing, hand tools).
  • Demonstrated ability to move rapidly from concept to physical hardware in low-cycle, fast-turnaround prototyping environments.
  • Willingness to travel ~25% to support off-site integration, testing, and hardware demonstrations.
  • Must be eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance.

Skills

Required:Mechanical design and analysis of test fixtures3D CAD modeling (Siemens NX)Hands-on prototyping and shop fabricationStructural analysis (static, dynamic, fatigue)

Benefits

  • Benefits package (comprehensive, competitive, available at little to no cost) including health, recovery, and other support as described in company materials.
Last updated Oct 14, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

About Anduril

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