Chief Engineer, Advanced Air Platforms (Fury)

Anduril Industries

Quick summary

Work type: On-site
Location: Costa Mesa, CA
Salary: $254,000–$336,000 / yr
Posted: today

Market check

Salary context

Above market

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $171k

This role $295k

$123k most similar roles pay here $359k

This role pays more than 99% of similar roles. Most pay $148,750–$193,000 — the shaded band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $295k versus about $171k for comparable roles.

Based on 240 similar postings.

Employer

About Anduril Industries

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company that builds advanced hardware and software systems for national security, including autonomous drones, surveillance systems, and the Lattice AI command platform.

Anduril Industries currently has 1882 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $146,000–$194,000 across 1696 roles with salary data.

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View all roles at Anduril Industries

At a glance

TL;DR · Chief Engineer, Advanced Air Platforms (Fury)

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As the Chief Engineer for Fury Programs within the Air Dominance & Strike (AD&S) Chief Engineering Team, you will lead as the principal technical authority and strategic orchestrator for a flagship unmanned aerial system. Your daily responsibilities include providing comprehensive leadership throughout the product lifecycle from design to operational deployment, collaborating with SMEs and business development teams to deliver innovative solutions, and ensuring compliance with airworthiness standards. You will also oversee fabrication and testing phases while fostering cross-functional partnerships to achieve ambitious objectives. The role requires expertise in unmanned aircraft systems at Group 3 classification or higher, extensive experience in senior leadership roles within the DOD, and a deep understanding of mission-critical system optimization under stringent constraints. Proficiency in aerospace engineering principles and hands-on technical skills are essential for this high-impact position.

Skills

Unmanned_Aircraft_Systems Aerospace_Engineering Mechanical_Engineering Electrical_Engineering Software_Engineering Project_Management System_Design Airworthiness_Certifications Department_of_Defense_Systems Security_Clearance FAA_Pilot_License A&P_License Experimental_Aircraft_Development CI/CD

What you'll do

Provide technical and programmatic leadership for the end-to-end lifecycle of air vehicle systems.
Lead strategic trades and conceptual design exploration to deliver innovative solutions for warfighter capability gaps.
Drive detailed system design, manage requirements, optimize subsystems, and mitigate risks for peak performance.
Ensure engineering teams achieve and maintain compliance with all necessary airworthiness certifications.
Oversee fabrication of prototypes and low-rate production articles, coordinating comprehensive test campaigns.
Support remotely deployed operations to gather critical feedback and ensure seamless integration into real-world scenarios.

What we're looking for

Deep understanding of unmanned aircraft systems at and above Group 3 classification.
Extensive experience in senior leadership roles guiding air vehicle programs through rigorous testing.
Track record of driving strategic technical direction and solving complex system optimization challenges.
Demonstrated ability to deliver critical functional capabilities while aligning with programmatic outcomes.
Significant experience working on mission-critical Department of Defense systems.
Proven history of fostering strong internal and external partnerships for cross-functional success.
Ability to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance.