Staff Technical Program Manager, Advanced Targeting Systems

Costa Mesa · Costa Mesa, CA (OC-00) · USD 132,000-198,000 · 6+ years experience · Full-time · Posted Oct 15, 2026

At a glance

Anduril Industries is seeking a Senior/Staff Technical Program Manager to drive the design, development, and production scaling of its Advanced Targeting System.
This rugged, mission-critical product fuses sensing, optics, weapon integration, and connected battlefield data to deliver decisive advantage to the warfighter.
The successful candidate will take immediate ownership of a product already in the field, driving its evolution, scalability, and transition to full-rate production.

Align roadmaps, manage timelines, and allocate resources across mechanical, electrical, firmware, and optics teams while balancing competing priorities in a fast-paced startup environment.
Serve as the primary liaison between engineering, manufacturing, product, and external stakeholders—including defense contractors and government entities.
Navigate the architecture and trade-offs of ruggedized targeting systems—LiDAR, weapon mounts, power, thermal, and embedded electronics—while ensuring compliance with ITAR, RMF, and other regulations.
Drive the transition from prototype to production, owning the CAD-to-prototype-to-production cadence and championing DFM/DFA, qualification testing, and configuration/change management.
Proactively identify and mitigate technical, schedule, supply chain, and compliance risks, adjusting plans to maintain momentum.
Manage relationships with suppliers, customers, and government agencies; deliver clear program updates and technical briefs to internal and external audiences.
Document tribal knowledge, close design gaps, and build repeatable processes that yield production-quality deliverables.
Travel to exercises and live-fire assessments to gather operator feedback and translate it into program requirements.

6+ years managing complex hardware development programs across the full development lifecycle
8+ years combined experience as a TPM, Product Manager, Engineering Manager, or Engineer in commercial tech or aerospace & defense
Hands-on experience leading ruggedized electromechanical systems—ideally targeting, sensing, optics, or weapon-integrated platforms
Strong technical fluency across mechanical, electrical, and firmware domains, with the ability to manage trade-offs across a complex system
Experience owning a complex BOM, engineering drawings, and change management within a PLM tool
Proven experience in component sourcing, vendor management, and DFM/DFA coordination with manufacturing partners
Exceptional communication skills, able to translate technical complexity into business-impacting insights
Willingness to travel up to 25%, including to field exercises and customer sites
U.S. Person status required (export-controlled data)

Defense or ruggedized systems background (shock, vibration, environmental sealing)
Experience with small arms components, weapon-mounted electronics, or fire control systems
Familiarity with LiDAR, imaging (low-light/night vision), sensor fusion, or multi-modal sensing architectures
Experience scaling hardware to medium- or high-volume production (100s of units or more)
Comfort with formal change management and multiple product configurations
Knowledge of manufacturing processes (machining, sheet metal, composites, injection molding, 3D printing)
Ability to create clarity from ambiguity in minimally structured environments
Familiarity with defense industry compliance and reporting (ITAR, RMF)

Highly competitive equity grants
Top-tier benefits for full-time employees, supporting health, recovery, and whatever comes next

Willingness to travel up to 25%, including to field exercises and customer sites