Senior Supplier Quality Engineer

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.

ABOUT THE TEAM

Anduril is fielding the next generation of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) to tackle the extremely challenging industry demands of seabed exploration. Anduril has brought to the market a unique, ultra-long-range, full-ocean-depth platform, and a completely refreshed maritime vehicle and flexible manufacturing architecture that scales from "large" to "extra-large" vehicle sizes. Today, Anduril is executing on multi-million-dollar contracts while simultaneously performing Robot-as-a-Service (RaaS) AUV operations.

ABOUT THE JOB

We are looking for a Senior Supplier Quality Engineer to join our team at our headquarters in Costa Mesa, CA. In this role, you will serve as the senior technical authority for supplier quality across our sub-sea hardware commodities — including connectors, wet cables, batteries, precision machined parts, and complex weldments — working inside and outside the organization to define, develop, and execute the processes that deliver high quality and reliable components for Anduril missions.

As a senior member of the team, you will own a portfolio of our most critical and sole-source suppliers end to end, from selection and qualification through new product introduction, rate ramp, and ongoing performance management. You will drive early engagement with our design teams and suppliers to meet our quality requirements the first time, evaluate technologies to support design for manufacturing assessments, supplier technology assessment and development, and lead supplier quality management across the product lifecycle. Everything comes down to clarity and action with our suppliers, and partnering with them for world class results is essential across the supply chain.

You will also act as a technical lead for the broader supplier quality team — mentoring and developing engineers, setting the standards and playbooks the team works to, and partnering with equivalent functions at our other sites to standardize how we execute. You will carry independent judgment and escalation authority on supplier approval, containment, and disposition decisions, and you will represent supplier quality in program milestone reviews and in front of our customers.

The right person for this role has deep, hands-on knowledge of battery, sub-sea electronics, wet cable, and complex weldment manufacturing, along with supply management, supplier development, sub-system performance criteria and metrology, and continuous improvement. If you are someone who loves to build world-class quality processes with suppliers, work hands-on with engineering, raise the bar for the engineers around you, and be accountable for results, then this role is for you.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

- Serve as the senior technical authority for supplier quality across sub-sea component commodities, including sub-sea electronics, wet cables, connectors, batteries, precision machined parts, and complex weldments and welded pressure structures.

- Own a portfolio of critical, strategic, and sole-source suppliers end to end — leading supplier selection and technical assessment, qualification, new product introduction launch, development roadmaps, scorecard and performance management, and supplier disqualification or exit when warranted.

- Leverage your knowledge and expertise of materials, manufacturing processes, design for manufacturability (DFM), welding and joining processes, and inspection/measurement techniques to support the internal Anduril design process and ideation. Offer guidance in managing technical risks and oversee the progression from proof of concept and prototyping stages through to scaling up designs for high-volume production within the design development framework.

- Drive the supplier quality development processes throughout the product development stages with appropriate engineering and production teams through design reviews, supplier process development, testing, and qualification for components and sub-assemblies. Review supplier processes and capabilities to ensure alignment to electrical, structural, and sub-assembly performance requirements can be achieved, including driving supplier QC processes (i.e. outgoing quality processes match incoming quality checks).

- Lead supplier quality for complex weldments and welded structures — reviewing weld procedure specifications and procedure qualification records (WPS/PQR), welder and operator qualifications, non-destructive testing plans (VT, PT, MT, UT, RT), distortion and residual stress control, fixturing, and dimensional validation of large welded frames and pressure boundary structures.

- Drive supplier quality readiness by analyzing key and critical characteristics for drawings and supplier specifications, developing measurement systems, and leading supplier qualification activities (PPAP, FAIR, audit, inspection development, etc.).

- Partner with development engineering, product quality engineering, product sourcing engineering, Global Strategic Sourcing, and program management to deliver predictable supply to the development programs and production programs, and manage exceptions, containments, and deviations for supplier technical performance, particularly in the development phases.

- Act as the final technical authority on supplier-related Material Review Board (MRB) dispositions, Supplier Corrective Action Request (SCAR) closure, deviation and waiver acceptance, and supplier approval or disqualification decisions — escalating to leadership only where program or contractual risk requires it.

- Own the elimination of supplier risk to improve quality and reliability across the product lifecycle. Utilize audits, readiness reviews, training, and documentation to ensure compliance.

- Lead Root Cause and Corrective Action (RCCA) investigations on purchased goods, own the resulting containments, review supplier effectiveness of actions, and drive lessons learned back into the product team and the broader supply base.

- Audit the Quality Management System at our suppliers as it pertains to supplier quality and performance. Define and improve required documentation and activities as needed to ensure Anduril's compliance to flow-down requirements from customers. Prepare, support, and lead supplier onsite audits and reviews for contract deliverables for quality management and compliance.

- Represent supplier quality in program milestone and gate reviews, and in front of customers, government representatives, and source inspection authorities.

- Mentor and develop Supplier Quality Engineers across the organization — setting the standards, templates, and playbooks the team executes to, reviewing their technical work, and raising the overall capability of the function.

- Drive standardization of supplier quality processes, methods, and techniques across Anduril sites and production system equivalents, and lead cross-site initiatives that improve how the company manages its supply base.

- Collaborate with Supply Chain to identify, evaluate, and establish a US-based network of material suppliers and contract manufacturers to strengthen domestic sourcing capabilities and reduce supply chain risk.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

- Bachelor's degree in Engineering or similar technical field

- 7+ years of Supplier Quality Engineering experience (or a combination of Supplier Quality, Quality, and Manufacturing Engineering experience with the majority in a supplier-facing role) in sub-sea electronics, wet cable manufacturing, battery manufacturing, and complex weldment / welded frame assembly environments, with strong problem solving skills

- Demonstrated hands-on experience with complex weldments — weld process selection, WPS/PQR review, welder qualification, weld inspection and NDT acceptance criteria, distortion control, and dimensional verification of large or structurally critical welded assemblies

- Demonstrated experience owning a portfolio of critical or sole-source suppliers, including supplier selection, qualification, development, and performance management

- Demonstrated experience mentoring or technically leading other engineers, and setting process standards adopted by a team

- Experience in Electronic Top Level Assembly (TLA) and PCBA manufacturing processes, test methods and concepts, high voltage systems, and power electronics

- Experience in scaling supplier capabilities and quality from prototype and proof of concept parts to low rate production to high rate production

- Experience flowing down Source Control requirements to suppliers

- Experience performing and dispositioning First Article Inspection to the AS9102 industry standard, and ensuring suppliers have control plans and inspection processes capable of meeting product requirements. Experience with IPC-A-610/620, IPC-J-STD-001, and MIL-STD-810

- Experience leading supplier Quality Management System audits against AS9100 or ISO 9001, including writing findings and driving them to closure

- Experience with driving supplier performance and evaluation. Experience with Statement of Work (SOW), quality clauses, intellectual property (IP), and government regulations such as ITAR

- Working knowledge of product development methodologies such as Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP), Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) elements such as Measurement Systems Analysis (MSA), quality improvement techniques, and Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T)

- A strong ownership mindset with demonstrated capability to drive projects from start to completion, and to make and defend independent technical decisions

- Analytical skills and experience with data mining, data quality, metrics generation, issue management systems, and statistical analysis tools (MATLAB, JMP, Minitab, etc.)

- Must be able to travel up to 30% of the time to suppliers, sourcing partners, and Anduril manufacturing locations, including our maritime facility in Quonset, RI

- Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

- Master's degree in a technical field

- 10+ years of Supplier Quality Engineering experience in defense, aerospace, maritime, or other high-reliability regulated manufacturing environment

- Certified Welding Inspector (AWS CWI) or NDT Level II certification, and working knowledge of welding specifications such as AWS D1.1, D1.2, D1.6, D17.1 , and ASME BPVC Section IX

- Lead Auditor certification (AS9100 / ISO 9001), and/or CQE, CQA, or Six Sigma Black Belt certification

- Experience supporting sub-sea, undersea, or pressure vessel hardware, including pressure boundary qualification and hydrostatic testing

- General understanding of engineering concepts, principles, and theory with technical experience demonstrating the application of those concepts while ensuring safety and regulatory compliance such as grounding and fault protection

- Understanding of low voltage and high voltage power electronics and control systems in order to capture system interconnect diagrams and drive cable harnessing designs with proper wire and connector selection

- Familiarity with common electrical bus interfaces (CAN, I2C, SPI, Ethernet, RS232/422, RS485, USB)

- Understanding of MIL-STD requirements such as MIL-STD-1275, MIL-STD-461, MIL-STD-810, MIL-DTL-38999

- Competence with test equipment such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, thermal chambers, current probes, and automation of tests

- Process Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (PFMEA) experience, and experience developing source inspection plans and qualifying inspection process capabilities

- Active U.S. Secret security clearance

US Hourly Range $147,000 — $196,000 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 [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]).

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- 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 [email protected] . Your proactive caution is invaluable in protecting your personal information and upholding the security and trustworthiness of our recruitment efforts.

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