Forward Deployed Engineer, Air Defense (FDE)
Anduril Industries· Defense· Feb 19, 2026 · 8mo agoPosted 250 days ago
Costa Mesa, California, United States
Hybrid
Full-time
Mid
$115K–$166K est.
3+ years exp
Before you apply
Ghost Signal:
Open since February 19, 2026 — 250 days, and still accepting applications.
Job description
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 ROLE
Anduril’s Deployment Operations group is seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer (internally know at Anduril as Technical Operations Engineer) to join our Air Defense team. This is a Costa Mesa based role and not eligible for remote/hybrid work.
As a member of Anduril’s Technical Operations team, you will be responsible for deploying and supporting Anduril’s products all over the world. You will go forward with products early on in their lifecycle and work with engineering teams to iteratively improve them over time. The challenges you will encounter are innumerable and unpredictable, but you will be expected to take ownership of delivering the technical solution.
You must be both a teacher and a student, able to coach teammates on systems that you’ve gained intimate familiarity with and then transition into mastering the next system. You’ll also guide users through product employment and troubleshooting, advise account managers on how to structure an operation to ensure technical success, and communicate specific recommendations for product refinement to engineering teams. WHAT YOU'LL DO
Support military air defense projects by executing technical operations, conducting field maintenance, providing customer field support and training
Tackle complex issues related to hardware, software, and networking in unstructured situations, driving them to resolution
Communicate field issue status to internal and customer teams, keeping them informed.
Support the development and implementation of comprehensive operational and logistical plans for various events
Ensure high availability and performance of air defense systems
Maintain support plans for hardware and software
Assist in event planning and resource allocation, keeping key stakeholders informed about Technical Operations requirements
Incident response root-cause analyses (RCAs) for defense systems in the field
Conduct post-incident reviews and implement preventive measures
Maintain up-to-date documentation
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
3+ years of experience of strong problem solving in unstructured environments at the interface of hardware, software, and networking.
Ability to climb towers to install, maintain, and repair sensor equipment and components including cameras, radars, and Pan Tilt Units (PTU).
Strong mechanical aptitude to troubleshoot and repair critical site infrastructure including generators, solar power systems, and hydraulic systems.
Experience performing preventative maintenance on tower structure components including guy wires, anchors, lightning protection systems and other structural elements to ensure structural integrity and safety.
Ability to meet health and medical requirements in advance of deployments in accordance with DFARS 252.225-7040 , DoDI 3020.41, and/or any additional requirements outlined by region or supporting force, as applicable.
Ability to travel to remote regions of the world for up to two months at a time (up to 80% of the year).
Ability to relocate, if not already local to be onsite in Costa Mesa, CA
Eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Top Secret/Secret clearance.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
B.S. in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, computer science, or related technical field
Network+ and Linux+ or equivalent experience preferred.
Prior tower climbing experience with relevant certifications (Tower Climbing, OSHA 10/30).
Experience with Fiber and RF systems (PtP, PtMP, mesh), understanding basic antenna concepts & spectrum analysis.
Terminating power cables with NEMA connectors or RJ45 connectors.
Ability to lift 50-70 lbs.
Experience operating specialized equipment including aerial lifts and forklifts.
Ability to develop complex operational and logistics plans to move people and things quickly, over long distances, in unfamiliar locations.
Prior military or overseas contracting experience.
US Salary Range $113,000 — $155,000 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 .
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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.
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