Manufacturing Engineer, Barracuda

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.

ABOUT THE SITE

Anduril, a leader in autonomous systems and weapons manufacturing, is building Arsenal-1, its first hyper-scale manufacturing facility, just south of Columbus, Ohio in Pickaway County. Arsenal-1 is redefining the scale and speed at which 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 Barracuda product is at its leading edge. Barracuda is a family of air-breathing autonomous air vehicles (AAVs) purpose-built for hyper-scale production and mass employment. The Barracuda family consists of Barracuda-100, Barracuda-250, and Barracuda-500. Each increment offers increasing size, range, and payload capacity, but all Barracudas are compatible with a host of payloads and employment mechanisms, support a variety of different missions, and provide warfighters with an adaptable and upgradeable capability to counter evolving threats.

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Barracuda Launch Team (BLT) will set the standard for building the future at Arsenal-1, our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Ashville, OH. As Barracuda transitions from low-rate initial production at Anduril HQ to high-rate manufacturing at Arsenal-1, this team will own the technology transfer, stand up production lines, and sustain the floor operations that make that ramp possible. You will have the opportunity to train under our world-class manufacturing team at Anduril HQ in Costa Mesa, CA for up to 2 months before bringing that standard of excellence back to Ohio.

ABOUT THE JOB

As a Manufacturing Engineer, you will support the transfer of Barracuda production from Anduril HQ to Arsenal-1 and help stand up the processes that enable high-rate manufacturing. This is a hands-on floor role — you'll execute complex electromechanical assemblies, maintain build documentation, collect and analyze production data, and assist in optimizing line performance. Working alongside senior engineers, you'll develop deep expertise in the manufacturing processes, tooling, and quality systems that keep production moving and scaling.

** This role requires relocation to Costa Mesa, CA for an initial training program of up to 2 months. Housing, transportation, etc. will be provided during your stay.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Execute manufacturing of Barracuda products and sub-assemblies involving complex electromechanical integration — including mechanical assembly, harness routing, avionics installation, and functional test.

• Follow and maintain build documentation including work instructions, MBOMs, and process specifications; flag gaps or inaccuracies to senior engineers for resolution.

• Support RCCA and 5-Why investigations on floor issues; collect data, document findings, and help implement corrective actions that improve yield and throughput.

• Monitor and record production metrics — takt time, cycle time, first-pass yield, and defect rates — and surface trends to the engineering team.

• Assist in line optimization efforts by identifying process waste, bottlenecks, and opportunities for efficiency improvements in assigned work areas.

• Support MES (Manufacturing Execution System) data entry and transaction accuracy; ensure production status and traceability are maintained in real time.

• Apply basic Lean manufacturing tools (5S, standard work) to maintain organized, efficient workstations and production cells.

• Participate in technology transfer activities as production moves from HQ to Arsenal-1, learning established processes and helping validate them in the new facility.

• Engage with the operations team to understand requirements and pain points; communicate manufacturing constraints to design and engineering teams.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• 2+ years of manufacturing engineering experience in aerospace, defense, or complex hardware production environments.

• Degree in an engineering or technical field preferred, or equivalent hands-on manufacturing experience.

• Ability to read engineering drawings and GD&T; foundational understanding of DFM, work instructions, and tooling.

• Hands-on experience physically building hardware — mechanical assembly, cable/harness fabrication, soldering, or similar. Personal or extracurricular projects count.

• Familiarity with production documentation systems (work instructions, MBOMs) and willingness to learn MES platforms.

• Strong attention to detail and a quality-first mindset.

• A genuine hunger to learn and grow, with flexibility for critical pushes.

• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Manufacturing experience in aerospace, automotive/EV, industrial, or medical device environments.

• Exposure to Lean tools such as 5S, value stream mapping, or FMEA.

• Harness or PCBA fabrication experience, including familiarity with SMT processes.

• Hands-on experience with R/C and/or autonomous flight vehicles, flight controllers, or related control systems.

• Familiarity with statistical process control (SPC) techniques and yield analysis.

• Experience with MES or ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, or similar).

• Current active U.S. Secret security clearance.

US Salary Range

$86,000—$112,000 USD

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including:

Benefits

At Anduril, we invest in our people. Our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you’re supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next. For more information, Explore Our Benefits.

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No Financial Requests: Anduril will never solicit payment or demand personal financial details (such as banking information, credit card numbers, or social security numbers) at any stage of our hiring process. Our legitimate recruitment is entirely free for candidates.

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By submitting your application, you consent to Anduril Industries using a third-party service provider to conduct pre-employment risk, integrity, and due diligence screening and assessing potential risks as part of your application process. This third-party service provider provides risk-intelligence services that may include analysis of sanctions and watchlists, adverse media, public-record information, and other lawful open-source or commercial data sources. This third-party service provider does not act as a consumer reporting agency. Use of this provider helps to ensure compliance with applicable laws and protect technology, intellectual property, and organizational security.