What are the responsibilities and job description for the Flight Test Engineering Lead position at Anduril Industries?
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.
Anduril’s autonomous systems programs demand rigorous flight test engineering to validate and deliver next-generation unmanned aerial capabilities. As Flight Test Engineering Lead, you will own the planning, execution, and reporting of flight test campaigns for autonomous aerial vehicles—from early developmental testing through operational evaluation with military customers.
This is a hands-on leadership role. You will lead a small team of test engineers while personally contributing to test design, vehicle operations, and data analysis. You will serve as the bridge between the engineering team designing the systems and the operational stakeholders who will employ them, ensuring that every capability delivered is rigorously tested, well-documented, and mission-ready.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
- Lead a small team of flight test engineers, managing workload planning, priorities, and professional development
- Own the flight test campaign schedule from planning through post-test reporting, coordinating with the chief engineer and program leadership
- Serve as the primary interface between the test team and customer test authorities during joint test events and operational evaluations
- Make risk-informed decisions on test readiness, go/no-go criteria, and safety-of-flight matters in coordination with the flight test director
- Brief test results and vehicle status to program leadership and customer stakeholders
- Author and review flight test plans, test cards, and data reduction plans for developmental, integration, and operational test phases
- Define test points, flight envelopes, and success criteria for autonomous aerial vehicle capabilities
- Execute flight tests as test conductor or vehicle operator, including pre-flight checks, mission execution, and post-flight debrief
- Develop and maintain flight test instrumentation requirements, telemetry configurations, and data acquisition system setups
- Coordinate range operations, airspace requirements, and regulatory compliance for test activities
- Support design and integration of autonomous aerial vehicle subsystems and components, including managing interfaces between hardware and software
- Develop, build, and operate physical integration environments (hardware-in-the-loop, ground test setups) to support system maturity
- Perform flight test data reduction and analysis to evaluate vehicle performance against requirements and specifications
- Author detailed test reports documenting execution, results, and recommendations for both internal and customer audiences
- Support in-field debug, repair, and maintenance of autonomous aerial vehicles during test campaigns and deployments.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or a related discipline
- 7 years of experience in flight test engineering, systems integration, or a closely related test and evaluation discipline
- Demonstrated experience planning and executing flight test campaigns, including authoring test plans and test cards
- Proven ability to lead or manage a small technical team through complex test programs
- Working knowledge of flight dynamics, aerodynamics, propulsion, or control theory as applied to flight test
- Familiarity with flight test instrumentation, data acquisition systems, and telemetry
- Experience with test hazard analysis, safety review processes, and airworthiness or flight clearance procedures (manned or unmanned)
- Proficiency with Linux, command-line interfaces, and software debugging in a test environment
- Strong written communication skills, with the ability to produce clear, defensible test plans and reports for technical and non-technical audiences
- Ability to obtain and maintain an NV1 Security Clearance
- In this role, you will be subject to pre-employment and randomized substance screening, as required by the Company.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience with unmanned aerial system (UAS) flight test, including autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles
- Background in model-based systems engineering or requirements-driven test and evaluation
- Familiarity with military test and evaluation frameworks (e.g., DT&E, OT&E) or equivalent civil certification processes
- Membership in or familiarity with SFTE, SETP, or equivalent professional flight test organisations
- Experience with range coordination, airspace management, and regulatory compliance for flight test activities
- Vehicle-level test experience across multiple domains (air, maritime, ground)
- Existing NV2 Security Clearance
- Knowledge of electronics troubleshooting and the ability to use basic test and measurement equipment
WORKING CONDITIONS
- This role may involve significant time at test ranges, customer sites, and field locations. You should expect periods of travel and deployment in support of test campaigns, including occasional work outside standard hours to meet test windows and operational schedules. Physical ability to support vehicle handling, setup, and recovery operations in outdoor and austere environments is expected.
Anduril is an equal-opportunity employer, and we encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply. If you are someone passionate to work on problems that matter, we’d love to hear from you!
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.
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