Staff Manufacturing Engineer, Road Runner

ABOUT THE SITE

Anduril, a leader in autonomous systems and weapons manufacturing, today announced it has selected Columbus, Ohio as the location of Arsenal-1, its first hyperscale manufacturing facility. Arsenal-1 will redefine the scale and speed that autonomous systems and weapons can be produced for the United States and its allies and partners. This is a monumental and essential step toward rebuilding America’s defense industrial base, strengthening America’s warfighting capabilities, and enhancing deterrence amid rising international threats.

ABOUT THE PRODUCT

The future of defense is being built right now, and Anduril’s Roadrunner product is at its leading edge. Roadrunner is a cutting-edge VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) counter-UAS interceptor, designed for autonomous air defense operations. It rapidly detects, tracks, and neutralizes hostile unmanned aircraft systems to protect critical assets and personnel.

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Roadrunner Team (RLT) will set the standard for building the future at Arsenal-1, our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Ashville, OH. This team will have the opportunity to train under our world-class manufacturing team at Anduril HQ in Costa Mesa, CA for 3 months before bringing that standard of excellence back to Ohio.

ABOUT THE JOB

This role is about much more than just processes; it's about orchestrating the industrialization of a vital product. You will own the entire manufacturing value-chain for Roadrunner, from current rate to high-volume deployment. Your responsibilities will span the spectrum: driving Design for Manufacturability (DFM) feedback into design, innovating tool design and selection, creating and optimizing high-rate production lines, fostering strategic vendor partnerships, embedding robust quality assurance throughout, and meticulously documenting build processes.

If you thrive under the pressure of scaling a critical product with immediate, real-world impact, we want you to help us build the next generation of Roadrunner products.

**This role requires candidates to relocate to Costa Mesa for a 3-month training program. Housing, transportation, etc. will be provided during your stay.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Lead the manufacturing of a certain product or set of products, from initial prototyping through large full-scale production.
• Work with design engineers during the development process to drive design for manufacturing best practices into the design effort, and help facilitate the transition from design to prototype to rate production.
• Lead the manufacturing requirements for mechanical fabrication and avionics with subject matter expertise in these areas and key experience in design for manufacturability.
• Own documentation required for successfully manufacturing product group hardware at scale, such as MBOM’s, work instructions & requirements, etc.
• Lead quality management and business application programs as they pertain to manufacturing within your area.
• Collaborate with internal customers and manufacturing planning teams to define capacity planning actions to meet customer needs and expectations.
• Analyze metrics for continuous improvement initiatives (cost reduction, QI reduction & capacity increase).
• Instill a culture of innovation, teamwork, and accountability within the manufacturing engineering product team.
• Develop production and test methodologies and implement best practices to enable scaling production capabilities for larger, more complex products.
• Travel to suppliers and partner sites to do initial sourcing work, solve ongoing production issues, and implement process procedures as required.
• Manage and train junior staff, focusing on creating efficient production processes, optimizing assembly, and ensuring technical growth within the engineering team.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Degree in a technical field preferred such as engineering, math, or a hard science
• 10+ years of experience in a relevant field, preferably manufacturing or design of electromechanical hardware
• Demonstrated ability to creatively deliver electromechanical hardware in a resource-constrained environment
• An attitude of world-class mission assurance, quality, attention to detail, and dedication.
• A genuine interest in manufacturing and thirst for learning
• Candidates must demonstrate flexibility and dedication, being prepared to work extended hours and weekends when dictated by critical business priorities
• Regular travel between our various locations is an essential component of this role
• U.S. Citizen Required

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Exposure to aircraft programs or other relevant aerospace & defense technologies
• Software scripting experience in any language
• Lean Six Sigma certification (Green Belt or higher) or equivalent experience
• Familiarity with J-STD-001, IPC-A-610, and IPC/WHMA-A-620 or equivalent standards