Staff Technical Program Manager, Advanced Targeting Systems

Anduril • Costa Mesa, CA

12d

About The Position

Anduril is seeking a Senior/Staff Technical Program Manager to lead the design, development, evolution, and production scaling of its Advanced Targeting System. This rugged, mission-critical product combines sensing, optics, weapon integration, and connected battlefield data. The role takes ownership of a system already in the field and drives its scalability and transition to full-rate production.

The position coordinates mechanical, electrical, firmware, and optics teams; connects engineering, manufacturing, product, and external stakeholders; and navigates technical trade-offs in ruggedized targeting systems. It also manages the transition from prototype to production, including design-for-manufacturing and assembly, qualification testing, configuration and change management, and risk mitigation. The role involves supplier, customer, and government relationships, program updates and technical briefings, process improvement, and travel to exercises and live-fire assessments to gather operator feedback.

Requirements

• At least 6 years managing complex hardware development programs across the full development lifecycle.
• At least 8 years of combined experience as a Technical Program Manager, Product Manager, Engineering Manager, or Engineer in commercial technology or aerospace and defense.
• Hands-on experience leading ruggedized electromechanical systems; targeting, sensing, optics, or weapon-integrated platforms are especially relevant.
• Technical fluency across mechanical, electrical, and firmware domains, with the ability to manage trade-offs across a complex system.
• Experience owning a complex bill of materials, engineering drawings, and change management within a PLM tool.
• Proven experience in component sourcing, vendor management, and DFM/DFA coordination with manufacturing partners.
• Exceptional communication skills and ability to translate technical complexity into business-impacting insights.
• Willingness to travel up to 25%, including to field exercises and customer sites.
• U.S. Person status required because the role involves export-controlled data.

Nice To Haves

• Background in defense or ruggedized systems, including shock, vibration, and environmental sealing.
• Experience with small arms components, weapon-mounted electronics, or fire control systems.
• Familiarity with LiDAR, imaging such as low-light or night vision, sensor fusion, or multi-modal sensing architectures.
• Experience scaling hardware to medium- or high-volume production, at 100s of units or more.
• Comfort with formal change management and multiple product configurations.
• Knowledge of manufacturing processes such as machining, sheet metal, composites, injection molding, and 3D printing.
• Ability to create clarity from ambiguity in minimally structured environments.
• Familiarity with defense-industry compliance and reporting, including ITAR and RMF.
• Advanced degree in an engineering discipline.
• Active Top Secret clearance or ability to obtain one.

Responsibilities

• Align roadmaps, manage timelines, and allocate resources across mechanical, electrical, firmware, and optics teams while balancing competing priorities.
• Serve as the primary liaison between engineering, manufacturing, product, and external stakeholders, including defense contractors and government entities.
• Navigate the architecture and trade-offs of ruggedized targeting systems, including LiDAR, weapon mounts, power, thermal management, and embedded electronics, while ensuring regulatory compliance.
• Drive the transition from prototype to production, owning the CAD-to-prototype-to-production cadence and championing DFM/DFA, qualification testing, and configuration and change management.
• Identify and mitigate technical, schedule, supply-chain, and compliance risks, adjusting plans to maintain progress.
• Manage relationships with suppliers, customers, and government agencies; deliver clear program updates and technical briefs to internal and external audiences.
• Document tribal knowledge, close design gaps, and establish repeatable processes that produce production-quality deliverables.
• Travel to exercises and live-fire assessments to gather operator feedback and translate it into program requirements.

Benefits

• Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full-time offers and are considered part of total compensation.
• Top-tier benefits for full-time employees, described as a comprehensive, competitive package available at little to no cost to employees.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed