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About this Staff Manufacturing Engineer, Barracuda role at Anduril Industries

Anduril Industries · Onsite · Ashville, Ohio, United States

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century’s most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril’s family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.

ABOUT THE SITE

Anduril, a leader in autonomous systems and weapons manufacturing, is building Arsenal-1, its first hyper-scale manufacturing facility, just south of Columbus, Ohio in Pickaway County. Arsenal-1 is redefining the scale and speed at which autonomous systems and weapons can be produced for the United States and its allies and partners. This is a monumental and essential step toward rebuilding America's defense industrial base, strengthening America's warfighting capabilities, and enhancing deterrence amid rising international threats.

ABOUT THE PRODUCT

The future of defense is being built right now, and Anduril's Barracuda product is at its leading edge. Barracuda is a family of air-breathing autonomous air vehicles (AAVs) purpose-built for hyper-scale production and mass employment. The Barracuda family consists of Barracuda-100, Barracuda-250, and Barracuda-500. Each increment offers increasing size, range, and payload capacity, but all Barracudas are compatible with a host of payloads and employment mechanisms, support a variety of different missions, and provide warfighters with an adaptable and upgradeable capability to counter evolving threats.

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Barracuda Launch Team (BLT) will set the standard for building the future at Arsenal-1, our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Ashville, OH. As Barracuda transitions from low-rate initial production at Anduril HQ to high-rate manufacturing at Arsenal-1, this team will own the technology transfer, stand up production lines, and sustain the floor operations that make that ramp possible. You will have the opportunity to train under our world-class manufacturing team at Anduril HQ in Costa Mesa, CA for up to 2 months before bringing that standard of excellence back to Ohio.

ABOUT THE JOB

As a Staff Manufacturing Engineer, you will drive the enterprise-wide manufacturing strategy for Barracuda at Arsenal-1 and architect how Anduril builds autonomous air vehicles at hyper-scale. You'll lead the end-to-end technology transfer from HQ, design the production systems and line architecture for high-rate output, and establish the manufacturing process frameworks — RCCA systems, MES strategy, yield management programs, takt time structures, and scaling playbooks — that become organizational standards. This role sits at the intersection of deep hands-on electromechanical manufacturing expertise and strategic program leadership. You'll balance short-term production demands with long-term capability development, pioneering manufacturing approaches that create lasting competitive advantage.

** This role requires relocation to Costa Mesa, CA for an initial training program of up to 2 months. Housing, transportation, etc. will be provided during your stay.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

  • Drive the enterprise-wide manufacturing strategy for Barracuda, aligning production systems, processes, and capacity plans with Anduril's long-term business objectives and Arsenal-1's ramp targets.
  • Architect and lead the technology transfer of Barracuda production from Anduril HQ to Arsenal-1 — designing the production line layout, process flow, MES architecture, and quality systems for high-rate output.
  • Establish the manufacturing process frameworks that become organizational standards: RCCA systems, yield management programs, takt time structures, line balancing methodologies, and scaling playbooks.
  • Lead transformational line optimization initiatives that fundamentally redefine production capability — targeting step-change improvements in throughput, cost, and quality across the Barracuda program.
  • Define and own the MES strategy for Barracuda production at Arsenal-1: system selection, workflow architecture, data models, and integration with quality and supply chain systems.
  • Pioneer novel manufacturing approaches for complex electromechanical integration at scale; develop proprietary methods with potential for patent protection.
  • Direct large-scale capital improvement programs with enterprise-wide impact; manage multi-million dollar portfolios of interdependent projects from justification through validation.
  • Develop comprehensive manufacturing technology roadmaps, evaluate emerging technologies and create adoption strategies with quantified business impact.
  • Establish manufacturing excellence models that balance efficiency, quality, and flexibility; lead breakthrough cost reduction programs delivering 7-figure annual savings.
  • Serve as the company's foremost authority in electromechanical manufacturing processes for Barracuda; resolve the most complex technical challenges that impact critical business outcomes.
  • Develop comprehensive technical career paths and competency models for the manufacturing engineering organization; design mentorship programs that accelerate development of high-potential engineers.
  • Represent Anduril's manufacturing capabilities to key customers, partners, and industry bodies; establish strategic relationships with equipment suppliers and technology providers.
  • Translate executive-level business strategies into manufacturing capability requirements; develop cost models that inform product strategy and pricing decisions.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

  • 12+ years in manufacturing of electromechanical hardware, with progressive leadership of complex production programs and scaling operations.
  • Degree in an engineering or technical field preferred, or equivalent depth of hands-on manufacturing experience.
  • Deep, demonstrated expertise in complex electromechanical integration at production scale — you've built it, optimized it, and scaled it.
  • Track record of standing up or transforming production lines: technology transfer, line design, process architecture, and ramp to rate.
  • Mastery of the manufacturing process ecosystem: work instructions, MBOMs, RCCA, line optimization, takt time management, yield programs, MES strategy, and scaling operations.
  • Experience leading transformational manufacturing initiatives with enterprise-wide impact and multi-million dollar scope.
  • Proven ability to resolve the most complex technical challenges where no established solution paths exist.
  • A world-class quality and mission-assurance mindset with the judgment to balance competing priorities across quality, cost, schedule, and manufacturability.
  • Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • High-rate manufacturing background in aerospace, defense, automotive/EV, or similar high-volume precision environment.
  • Experience architecting production systems for a new facility or major production line standup from the ground up.
  • Exposure to aircraft, aerospace, and defense programs at a strategic or program leadership level.
  • Harness and PCBA fabrication experience, including SMT process expertise at scale.
  • Hands-on experience with autonomous systems, flight vehicles, or related control systems.
  • Lean Six Sigma (Black Belt or higher); deep familiarity with J-STD-001, IPC-A-610, and IPC/WHMA-A-620.
  • Experience selecting, deploying, or architecting MES platforms for high-rate production environments.
  • Published work, patents, or recognized contributions to manufacturing technology advancement.
  • Software scripting ability in any language.
  • Current active U.S. Secret security clearance.
US Salary Range
$143,000—$191,000 USD

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including: 

 

Benefits

At Anduril, we invest in our people. Our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you’re supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next. For more information, Explore Our Benefits.

 

Protecting Yourself from Recruitment Scams

Anduril is committed to maintaining the integrity of our Talent acquisition process and the security of our candidates. We've observed a rise in sophisticated phishing and fraudulent schemes where individuals impersonate Anduril representatives, luring job seekers with false interviews or job offers. These scammers often attempt to extract payment or sensitive personal information.

To ensure your safety and help you navigate your job search with confidence, please keep the following critical points in mind:

  • No Financial Requests: Anduril will never solicit payment or demand personal financial details (such as banking information, credit card numbers, or social security numbers) at any stage of our hiring process. Our legitimate recruitment is entirely free for candidates.

  • Please always verify communications:
    • Direct from Anduril: If you receive an email from one of our recruiters, it will only come from an @anduril.com address.
    • Via Agency Partner: If contacted by a recruiting agency for an Anduril role, their email will clearly identify their agency. If you suspect any suspicious activity, please verify the agency's authenticity by reaching out to [email protected]. 
  • Exercise Caution with Unsolicited Outreach: If you receive any communication that appears suspicious, contains grammatical errors, or makes unusual requests, do not engage. Always confirm the sender's email domain is @anduril.com before providing any personal information or clicking on links.

  • What to Do If You Suspect Fraud: Should you encounter any questionable or fraudulent outreach claiming to be from Anduril, please report it immediately to [email protected]. Your proactive caution is invaluable in protecting your personal information and upholding the security and trustworthiness of our recruitment efforts.

 

Data Privacy

To view Anduril's candidate data privacy policy, please visit https://anduril.com/applicant-privacy-notice/. 

 

By submitting your application, you consent to Anduril Industries using a third-party service provider to conduct pre-employment risk, integrity, and due diligence screening and assessing potential risks as part of your application process. This third-party service provider provides risk-intelligence services that may include analysis of sanctions and watchlists, adverse media, public-record information, and other lawful open-source or commercial data sources. This third-party service provider does not act as a consumer reporting agency. Use of this provider helps to ensure compliance with applicable laws and protect technology, intellectual property, and organizational security.

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How this Manufacturing Engineer salary compares

This role pays $167,000/yr — above the typical range for Manufacturing Engineer roles.

$109,500 median $146,500 $167,000

Typical range $129,000–$146,500/yr, from 28 comparable Manufacturing Engineer listings on JobsRadar (pay annualized to USD). See Manufacturing Engineer salary insights →

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