Program Manager, Mission Autonomy, Active Clearance

Anduril Industries

Quick summary

Work type: On-site
Location: Costa Mesa, CA
Salary: $166,000–$220,000 / yr
Posted: today

Market check

Salary context

Above market

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $175k

This role $193k

$137k most similar roles pay here $229k

This role pays more than 72% of similar roles. Most pay $153,025–$196,275 — the shaded band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $193k versus about $175k 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.

Most-posted roles

View all roles at Anduril Industries

At a glance

TL;DR · Program Manager, Mission Autonomy, Active Clearance

Apply Now Log in to save

Join our Mission Autonomy division as a Program Manager to oversee the software release lifecycle and development process for autonomous flight initiatives. You will lead Internal Research & Development efforts, developing and testing mission autonomy software onto airframes through collaboration with cross-functional teams including engineers and test pilots. Your responsibilities include driving the autonomy roadmap, leading test strategies, facilitating technical decisions, and providing clear status updates to leadership. This role requires an active Secret clearance (TS/SCI preferred), experience in aerospace or autonomous systems, and expertise in command and control, collaborative autonomy, and AI-driven decision-making. You will work with simulation tools and flight-test environments, ensuring thorough testing before live flights, while managing capture programs and administrative tasks to support engineering teams.

Skills

Python C++ Kubernetes Docker CI/CD Git AWS PostgreSQL Autonomy Expertise AI/ML Simulation Hardware-in-the-Loop Software-in-the-Loop Flight Test Experience UAS Platforms TS/SCI Clearance Secret Clearance

What you'll do

Drive the end-to-end scope, schedule, and budget for Mission Autonomy IRAD roadmap.
Lead development and execution of test strategies in simulation and real-world flight testing.
Facilitate technical decisions by developing deep fluency in vehicle systems and evaluating engineering trade-offs.
Unblock the engineering team by managing risk, prioritizing tasks, and clearing administrative hurdles.
Provide clear, data-driven status updates and risk assessments to executive leadership.

What we're looking for

Active U.S. Secret clearance required (TS/SCI preferred)
4+ years of technical program management in aerospace or defense industries
Experience with autonomous command and control systems, collaborative autonomy, or AI-driven decision-making
Direct flight test experience for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Group 3-5 platforms
Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field
Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and drive technical decisions

Save