Lead Scientist, Strategic Defense

The Strategic Defense team develops and fields software-defined command-and-control capabilities for the most demanding Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) missions. The team connects distributed sensors battle-management functions fire-control systems and effectors to create resilient interoperable kill chains against complex air and missile threats.

Working across software systems autonomy modeling and simulation integration test and mission operations the team delivers capabilities that help U.S. and allied forces sense understand decide and act at machine speed. Our systems must operate across services and domains integrate with existing and emerging architectures and remain effective in contested and degraded environments.

Anduril is seeking a Lead Scientist / Engineer to lead the technical definition architecture integration and validation of Integrated Air and Missile Defense capabilities within the Strategic Defense business line.

This is a hands-on engineering role for a senior technical contributor. The successful candidate will have spent a substantial portion of their career personally developing integrating testing or analyzing complex defense systems. We are not seeking a candidate whose experience is primarily program management capture business development acquisition management or administrative oversight.

The engineer will own critical elements of the end-to-end engagement chain with particular emphasis on fire control and dynamic sensor tasking. They will translate operational mission needs into system behavior develop architectures and interfaces conduct engineering trades support implementation and prove performance through modeling simulation hardware/software integration and test.

• Lead system and mission architecture for end-to-end IAMD kill chains spanning sensing track formation identification threat evaluation weapon assignment engagement planning fire-control execution and kill assessment.
• Define and mature fire-control functionality including engagement-quality track requirements sensor-to-shooter interfaces weapon-control integration timing and latency budgets safety constraints and engagement-sequence logic.
• Develop dynamic sensor-tasking approaches that allocate and coordinate distributed sensors based on threat priority track quality geometry resource availability defended-asset priorities and anticipated engagement needs.
• Translate operational concepts threat scenarios and customer needs into testable system requirements behaviors interfaces and performance measures.
• Decompose mission objectives into subsystem requirements and maintain traceability from operational need through architecture implementation verification and validation.
• Perform and review technical analyses involving detection and tracking performance sensor coverage track quality discrimination system latency raid handling resource allocation engagement timelines and probability of mission success.
• Build and use modeling and simulation environments to evaluate architectures algorithms sensor and effector pairings system-of-systems behavior and mission performance against representative threat sets.
• Work directly with software engineers to implement battle-management fire-control sensor-management track-management and decision-support capabilities.
• Integrate government-furnished commercial allied and Anduril sensors and effectors through well-defined interfaces and open-system architectures.
• Plan and execute software-in-the-loop hardware-in-the-loop laboratory range flight and live-fire integration and test activities.
• Diagnose system behavior using logs telemetry test data and quantitative analysis; identify root causes and drive technical issues to closure.
• Develop engineering artifacts such as system architectures interface definitions requirements sequence diagrams state machines trade studies test plans safety analyses and verification evidence.
• Engage directly with operational users government technical organizations program offices laboratories and industry partners to resolve technical issues and shape deployable solutions.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship while remaining personally involved in engineering analysis design reviews integration and test.
• Support field demonstrations exercises and deployments including travel to customer and test locations as required.

• 1015 years of relevant engineering experience developing integrating testing or fielding complex defense aerospace radar missile weapon battle-management or command-and-control systems.
• A sustained record of hands-on technical work in systems engineering software engineering controls electrical engineering aerospace engineering radar engineering modeling and simulation integration and test or a closely related discipline.
• Demonstrated engineering experience with fire-control systems or engagement chains including several of the following: engagement-quality tracks weapon assignment engagement planning sensor-to-shooter integration fire-control interfaces timing and latency weapon-control functions safety interlocks or engagement testing.
• Demonstrated experience with sensor tasking or sensor resource management including task planning revisit scheduling search and track allocation track-quality management multi-sensor coordination or closed-loop tasking based on mission objectives.
• Working knowledge of IAMD missions and threats including a meaningful subset of cruise missiles ballistic missiles hypersonic threats fixed-wing aircraft rotary-wing aircraft and other airborne threats.
• Experience developing and analyzing end-to-end system architectures that integrate multiple sensors command-and-control nodes fire-control elements communications networks and effectors.
• Experience translating operational needs and concepts of operation into technical requirements architectures interface definitions and verification plans.
• Experience with sensor fusion tracking battle management mission planning resource allocation or real-time decision systems.
• Experience conducting quantitative engineering trades and performance analysis using Python MATLAB/Simulink C or equivalent analytical environments.
• Experience integrating and testing complex hardware/software systems in laboratory field range or operational environments.
• Strong understanding of systems-engineering practices across the development lifecycle including requirements management interface control architecture integration verification validation and technical risk management.
• Ability to communicate clearly with software hardware test operations and customer teams and work effectively from detailed technical discussions through senior design reviews.
• Bachelors degree in engineering computer science physics mathematics or another relevant technical field.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.

• Direct experience with one or more operational air or missile defense ecosystems such as IBCS AEGIS C2BMC THAAD Patriot LTAMDS Sentinel G/ATOR NASAMS or comparable U.S. or allied systems.
• Experience developing or integrating battle-management and command-and-control software for layered air and missile defense.
• Deep knowledge of radar search detection track formation discrimination track correlation measurement scheduling or sensor resource management.
• Experience with integrated fire-control networks cooperative engagement composite tracking or remote sensor-to-shooter engagements.
• Knowledge of interceptor and weapon-system behavior including launch envelopes guidance concepts in-flight target updates defended-asset planning and engagement sequencing.
• Experience designing for contested communications intermittent connectivity distributed operations electronic attack cyber constraints or degraded sensor environments.
• Experience with tactical data links military messaging government reference architectures and defense interface standards.
• Experience with model-based systems engineering and tools such as Cameo/MagicDraw SysML UAF or DoDAF.
• Experience supporting flight tests range tests live-fire tests operational demonstrations or fielded mission systems.
• Masters degree or doctorate in a relevant technical field.
• Active U.S. Secret or Top Secret clearance.

Candidates whose backgrounds are primarily program management business development capture acquisition management or staff oversightand who cannot demonstrate substantial recent engineering ownershipwill not meet the requirements of this role.

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 Andurils total compensation package. Additionally Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees including:

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

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