← Back to all roles in the United States

Costa Mesa, United States

Principal Systems Engineer - Air Vehicle Software

Anduril Industries · Costa Mesa · United States

$220,000–$292,000 per yearSystems Engineer

Posted: 6/25/2026 · Last checked: 10/12/2026

Job description

Quoted in full from Anduril Industries's job posting. Gavroche does not edit it.

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.

WHY WE'RE HERE:

The systems engineering team is looking for experienced systems engineers to support a Group 5 aircraft program at Anduril. The ideal candidate will have experience working with complex unmanned aerial systems (UAS), and ideally will have a strong background in software systems for unmanned platforms. In addition to a strong technical background, the ideal candidate will also have experience integrating feedback from test and evaluation campaigns to improve products and systems.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

We are hiring a Principal Systems Engineer with a background in air vehicle software systems to support development of a group 5 autonomous aircraft.

  • Shape customer needs into air vehicle and subsystem software requirements in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams.
  • Develop System Engineering artifacts, including system model, to trace from stakeholder inputs through design in a digital thread. Incorporate input from system safety, software engineering, and other disciplines to shape system architecture and support airworthiness certification.
  • Communicate and manage program risks in conjunction with Chief Engineer and Program Management.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • B.S. in aerospace, mechanical, computer science or similar engineering or technical field
  • 15+ years Engineering Experience across the life cycle for an UAS with specific focus on aircraft systems
  • Familiarity and experience with the following standards and handbooks: MIL-HDBK-516C, MIL-STD-882E, ARP-4761, ARP-4754A, DO-178C, DO-254, MIL-STD-881
  • Experience developing subsystem software requirements and interfaces; including mission systems
  • Experience with contingency management software architecture and requirements
  • Experience on mature Aircraft development programs including operational testing and airworthiness certification.
  • Experience with SysML, DoDAF, UAFP, or similar
  • Experience developing various model based system engineering artifacts - Operational Viewpoints, System Viewpoints, activity diagrams, use case diagrams, BDDs, IBDs, parametric diagrams, etc...
  • Outstanding communication skills to include presentation of developed artifacts
  • Must hold an active U.S. Secret security clearance

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • Experience with Cameo MagicDraw or similar systems engineering software
  • Experience with Digital Engineering workflows and Integrated Modeling Environments (i.e. Teamwork Cloud)
  • Demonstrated High ownership and autonomy across the end-to-end systems engineering lifecycle.
  • Must be able to obtain and hold a U.S. Top Secret security clearance
US Salary Range
$220,000—$292,000 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 contact@anduril.com. 
  • 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 contact@anduril.com. 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.

Similar roles in Costa Mesa

200 open roles like this one; at most three per employer shown.

What systems engineer adverts in the United States state

Middle half: 139,625 – 193,000 USD a year; median 168,250 USD.

From 448 adverts by 133 employers that state a salary, annualised.

How systems engineer roles in the United States are worked

3% fully remote · 2% hybrid · 95% do not say

Of 150 adverts. An advert that does not state a work mode is counted as not saying, not as on-site.

New openings in Costa Mesa, by week

  1. 7/20/2026 32
  2. 7/27/2026 39
  3. 8/3/2026 35
  4. 8/10/2026 32
  5. 8/17/2026 64
  6. 8/24/2026 58
  7. 8/31/2026 63
  8. 9/7/2026 79
  9. 9/14/2026 97
  10. 9/21/2026 79
  11. 9/28/2026 93
  12. 10/5/2026 86

757 openings over 12 weeks, by the week they were published.

Other roles at Anduril Industries

2239 open, including roles outside the United States.