Senior Software Engineer, Actuation and Control Systems

Title: Senior Software Engineer, Actuation and Control Systems Location: Costa Mesa, California, United States

ABOUT THE TEAM

Anduril's Maritime Division is transforming American sea power to meet the defining national security challenges of our era and secure our future of maritime dominance.
We are scaling at an historic pace, anchored by Arsenal-2, our new software-defined shipyard being built in Baltimore County, Maryland. It's part of a new $6.6 billion investment in America's submarine industrial base.
Arsenal-2 is purpose-built to break long-standing industrial bottlenecks and scale production of critical components for the Navy's Virginia-class attack submarines to support fleet requirements. At the same time, it will build the industrial muscle to field our next-generation AUVs at scale.
We aren't waiting for the new shipyard to be completed. The work on this transformation starts right now, with development inside our new 160,000 square foot Proto-Factory in Orange County, California, where the team is already laying the foundation. As the prototyping hub for Arsenal-2, this facility gives us a multi-year head start, proving out the advanced manufacturing methods, digital workflows, and quality systems that will scale across our broader shipyard network.
In Anduril's Maritime Division, we are actively building America's next decisive advantage at sea—and this is the moment to join us.

ABOUT THE JOB

You will own actuation and control software for a maritime autonomous vehicle. Reporting to the Navigation and Control lead, you will develop control algorithms that command thrusters, control surfaces, and buoyancy systems to achieve desired depth, heading, speed, and attitude across all operating conditions.
Your spectrum of support will be diverse in nature and require you to leverage your technical expertise as well as leadership skills to set objectives, build cross-functional teams, and rapidly drive to completion. The ability to leverage your intuition and prior experience will be key in making sure the right design, analysis, and test steps are completed to ensure success. The ideal candidate will leverage their experience executing and successfully completing prior highly optimized multi-disciplinary projects.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Own vehicle control software: depth, heading, speed, and attitude control
• Develop and tune control algorithms for underwater vehicle dynamics
• Implement control laws on embedded real-time platforms
• Build vehicle dynamics models and simulate control response
• Define interfaces with GN&C sensors, thruster hardware, and buoyancy actuators
• Support SITL and HITL testing of control software
• Perform at-sea tuning and validation during prototype testing
• Interface with navigation, propulsion, and buoyancy teams
• Travel up to 25% to test sites

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, or equivalent
• 7+ years of experience in control systems, vehicle dynamics, or robotics software
• Experience with control algorithm development (PID, LQR, model-predictive, or equivalent)
• Proficiency in C++ or Rust for embedded control software
• Familiarity with MATLAB/Simulink or equivalent modeling environments
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience with AUV, UUV, or marine vehicle control systems
• Working knowledge of 6-DOF vehicle dynamics modeling
• Experience with real-time embedded control implementations
• Experience with SITL/HITL testing frameworks
• Experience in defense or maritime robotics