Director, Manufacturing Development

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.

We are seeking an experienced and results-driven Director of Manufacturing Development to lead the strategic development, execution, and continuous improvement of manufacturing processes across our organization. You will lead a team dedicated to developing robust manufacturing processes for our diverse product portfolio, addressing challenges from high product complexity to high-volume automation and process optimization. This role requires both technical expertise and strategic vision - you'll anticipate future manufacturing needs while addressing immediate production requirements, balancing short-term deliverables with long-term capability development. As our company continues its rapid growth, you'll be instrumental in building the manufacturing foundation that supports our expanding product lines and increasing production volumes.

Manufacturing Development Processes and Adoption

• Develop and implement a strategy to develop the manufacturing process for new products aligned with company goals.
• Drive innovation in manufacturing processes, automation, and technology adoption to enhance efficiency and scalability for both development and high-volume production.
• Partner with R&D and product development teams to ensure seamless transition of new products from design to production and develop scalable processes to support rapid growth and adapt to a highly dynamic production environment
• Define KPIs, measure performance, and ensure alignment with operational and business objectives for manufacturing development.

Design for Excellence

• Drive Design for Manufacturability, Assembly, Automation, Test, Quality, Cost, etc. (DFx) principles during product development, ensuring smooth scaling into production.
• Develop and enforce DFx best practices and design rules across engineering teams, incorporating lessons learned from previous projects.
• Develop tools and best practices for DFx reviews and Virtual Builds to address design and process issues early in development cycle and ensure alignment with production capabilities.

Procedure Development 

• Create manufacturing documentation, including process flows, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and engineering requirements specifications.
• Develop manufacturing procedures and documentation that meet safety, quality, and regulatory compliance standards, including classified product handling.

Team Development and Resource Planning

• Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing team of manufacturing engineers and technical staff.
• Foster cross-functional collaboration across Production, Quality, Supply Chain, and Product Development teams.
• Promote a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Manage budgets, resources, and staffing for the manufacturing development department.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical, Industrial, or Electrical Engineering (or related field).
• You have 5+ years of experience as manufacturing engineering, manufacturing operations, design engineering, digital manufacturing, program management, or engineering transformation.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and project management skills.
• Experience in managing New Product Introduction (NPI) and scaling production for high-growth environments.
• Familiar with Product Life Cycle (PLM) systems, Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), and Test Execution Systems (TES).
• Expertise in lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, and process optimization.
• Strong knowledge of automation, robotics, and advanced manufacturing technologies.
• Upstream or Downstream experience relative to Manufacturing – Supply Chain, Finance, Business Development, Field Deployment, Design, etc.
• Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export controlled information or facilities