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Salary: USD 129,000 - 171,000 / annual
Anduril Industries, a defense technology company, is seeking a Senior Test Engineer to join the Maritime Manufacturing Technology team in Santa Ana, CA. The team is responsible for rapidly developing, manufacturing, and qualifying mission-critical defense hardware with a test-first approach, spanning verification from coupon-level mechanical and weld evaluations to full-scale Hardware-in-the-Loop (HITL) functional qualification of advanced surface and undersea systems.
In this role, you will bridge design engineering and physical execution, owning the hardware test lifecycle from initial requirements ingestion through hands-on floor test execution and operational evaluations. You will develop comprehensive test strategies, design and build custom test rigs, instrument systems, and execute testing across simulation platforms and operational maritime/unmanned platforms.
Key responsibilities include:
• Ingesting customer, system-level, and subsystem requirements to develop comprehensive Test & Evaluation Plans, Design Verification Plans & Reports (DVP&R), and detailed standard operating procedures.
• Designing, fabricating, and validating specialized test fixtures, mechanical rigs, and electrical ground support equipment to capture critical performance metrics.
• Leading hands-on integration, functional testing, environmental validation, and troubleshooting on the production floor and during operational/on-water trials.
• Selecting, calibrating, and installing instrumentation (sensors, data loggers, DAQ modules) to acquire, process, and troubleshoot empirical test data against vehicle-level performance targets.
• Leading investigations into hardware/system anomalies, executing root-cause failure analyses (8D, FMEA) and driving corrective design actions.
• Acting as the technical interface across engineering, manufacturing, and ground operations; interfacing directly with critical hardware suppliers and leading technical briefs for internal stakeholders and customers.
• Serving as a technical anchor on the floor, mentoring junior engineers and technicians, with opportunity to grow into a first-line engineering manager overseeing multi-line test execution.
Travel of approximately 15–25% is required to support operational testing, company sites (e.g., Atlanta, GA), and supplier testing facilities.
REQUIREMENTS:
• Bachelor's degree in Marine Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related discipline.
• 3–7+ years of experience spanning test engineering, integration, and operational evaluation of complex electro-mechanical hardware.
• Demonstrated ability to navigate the full lifecycle of test: ingesting front-end engineering requirements, defining test methodologies, building test rigs, and managing floor test execution.
• Hands-on proficiency with mechanical/electrical instrumentation, sensor integration, wiring harnesses, and data acquisition tools.
• Strong root-cause troubleshooting skills on electro-mechanical, power distribution, or control systems.
• Professional experience interfacing with hardware vendors, participating in design reviews, and delivering clear technical updates to cross-functional teams and leadership.
• Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export controlled information or facilities.
• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
• Prior experience with maritime systems, autonomous surface vessels (ASVs/MDUSVs), marine payloads, or unmanned platforms.
• Background in aerospace flight test/ground operations or prime defense contractor test environments applying rigorous qualification standards.
• Direct experience executing on-water trials, vessel launch/recovery systems, or marine propulsion and auxiliary systems.
• Proficiency with 3D CAD tools (SolidWorks, Fusion 360) and data processing software (MATLAB, Python).
• Demonstrated track record or ambition to lead and mentor a team of engineers and technicians as a first-line manager.
• Active U.S. DoD Secret or Top Secret security clearance.
