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Salary: USD 146,000 - 194,000 / annual
Anduril Industries, a defense technology company, is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer for Structures and Mechanical Integration to join the Space Manufacturing team in Costa Mesa. This role focuses on designing and developing mechanical ground support equipment (MGSE) and tooling—including lifting and handling fixtures, rotation and integration stands, and transport fixtures—that support structures and vehicle integration lines. You will work hands-on with technicians on the production floor, taking vehicle-level and major-assembly integration from development into production in a fast-paced environment.
Key responsibilities include:
- Design and develop MGSE and tooling with load-path and structural-margin analysis, defining factors of safety and coordinating proof-load and qualification testing before release for flight hardware use.
- Develop and qualify mechanical/structural integration processes including precision fastening, torque control, bonded and shimmed joints, mechanism installation, and alignment to metrology-defined datums.
- Author and maintain work instructions, travelers, and as-built records for structural and mechanical builds.
- Drive Design for Manufacturability and Assembly (DFM/A) into structural and vehicle-level designs before Critical Design Review (CDR), addressing access, fastener reach, tool clearance, and integration sequencing.
- Own cleanroom manufacturing practices on your line, managing contamination control, foreign object debris (FOD) prevention, gowning, and material flow across ISO 7 and ISO 5 environments.
- Lead root cause analysis and corrective action for nonconformances; support PFMEA, process validation, and first article inspection.
- Act as an owner and evangelist for Anduril's Manufacturing Development Process (MDP), using Foundry and Teamcenter as systems of record.
- Support design reviews (PDR, CDR) and manufacturing readiness reviews, providing hands-on technical support to integration technicians.
The ideal candidate brings deep mechanical and structural engineering expertise, hands-on experience designing MGSE and tooling for flight or high-consequence hardware, and proven ability to scale vehicle-level integration from development into production.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Structural, Manufacturing, or Industrial Engineering, or related technical discipline.
- 5+ years of manufacturing or mechanical engineering experience in aerospace, space, defense, or high-reliability industry, including hands-on work on structural and mechanical assemblies.
- 3+ years designing tooling, fixtures, or MGSE (lifting and handling fixtures, rotation and integration stands, transport fixtures) with attention to load paths, structural margins, factors of safety, and proof-load or qualification testing of lifting and handling equipment.
- Proficiency with 3D CAD (e.g., Siemens NX) for mechanical/structural design of tooling and MGSE, including GD&T and tolerance stack-up analysis.
- Hands-on depth in mechanical integration: precision fastening and torque control, bonded or shimmed joints, mechanism installation, and alignment to metrology-defined datums (laser tracker, CMM, or photogrammetry).
- Cleanroom manufacturing experience with contamination control and FOD prevention discipline (ISO 7 or cleaner).
- Demonstrated expertise in root cause analysis (8D, 5-Why, Fishbone), PFMEA, and first article inspection.
- Hands-on mindset with demonstrated willingness to work on the floor alongside technicians.
- Willing to work on-site with travel up to 15% to development, test, and supplier sites.
- Currently possesses and able to maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Direct experience integrating satellites, spacecraft, or space-based instruments (flight hardware).
- Structural analysis background—hand calculations or FEA for GSE and tooling load cases.
- Weight and balance or mass-properties verification and final mechanical close-out operations.
- Familiarity with space workmanship and process standards (NASA-STD-8739 series, IPC-620, ECSS, or equivalents).
- Quantified cycle-time, yield, or throughput improvement on an assembly or integration line.
