Staff Systems Engineer, Space Special Programs

Anduril Industries

Confirmed live yesterday High trust

Quick summary

Work type
On-site
Location
Chantilly, VAHerndon, VA
Salary
$191,000–$253,000 / yr
Posted
15 days ago
Freshness
Confirmed live yesterday

Market check

Salary context

Above market

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $180k
This role $222k
$136k most similar roles pay here $266k

This role pays more than 86% of similar roles. Most pay $149,056–$211,150 — the shaded band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $222k versus about $180k 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 1697 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $146,000–$194,000 across 1504 roles with salary data.

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View all roles at Anduril Industries

At a glance

TL;DR · Staff Systems Engineer, Space Special Programs

Staff Systems Engineer, Space Special Programs joins the Space Special Programs team to manage the full lifecycle of spacecraft and associated systems. This role involves designing, developing, integrating, testing, and operating space capabilities in challenging environments. The engineer will manage requirements, risks, budgets, and trade studies while collaborating with cross-functional teams to drive product maturity through rapid prototyping and design verification. Key responsibilities include establishing internal guidelines for high-reliability hardware, conducting peer-level design reviews, and creating customer-facing documentation. The ideal candidate possesses a degree in aerospace, mechanical, or computer science engineering and extensive experience in spacecraft development, including environmental testing and subsystem requirements. This role addresses the challenge of providing mission-critical capabilities to ensure space superiority. Required skills include expert systems engineering, team leadership, and the ability to navigate complex, fast-paced projects with high autonomy.

What does a Systems Engineer earn?

Median $158250 from 186 postings across 30 companies.

See salary data

What you'll do

  • Manage the full lifecycle of design, development, integration, and testing for spacecraft and associated systems.
  • Develop, track, and maintain system requirements to ensure all subsystems meet technical goals.
  • Define and manage program risks through risk burn-down plans and trade studies.
  • Oversee system budgets and project timelines across multiple concurrent projects.
  • Establish internal guidelines and best practices for space flight hardware design, manufacturing, and operations.
  • Conduct peer-level and cross-discipline design reviews to produce customer-facing documentation and presentations.
  • Mentor and grow the engineering team as a subject matter expert in systems engineering.

What we're looking for

  • B.S. in aerospace, mechanical, computer science or similar engineering or technical field.
  • M.S. in aerospace, mechanical, computer science or similar engineering or technical field (preferred).
  • 13+ years of experience across the life cycle for spacecraft and space systems.
  • 3+ years of leading a systems engineering team working on small spacecraft.
  • Experience developing subsystem requirements, interfaces, and mission systems.
  • Experience on mature spacecraft development programs including operational and environmental testing.
  • Experience developing design artifacts such as review materials, trade studies, risk matrices, and non-conformance investigations.
  • Must be a U.S. Citizen able to obtain and maintain a U.S. Top Secret security clearance.

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