Chief Test Pilot
COSTA MESA, CA /ANDURIL - TEST AND EVALUATION – FLIGHT TEST* /FULL-TIME/ ON-SITE
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.
At Anduril we are developing unmanned aerial systems capable of terminal guidance, long range intelligence collection, precision relative and global navigation, and unsupervised autonomy. The Test Engineering team works across the entire spectrum of products ranging from Lattice Ghost UAS, Sentry Tower, cUAS and our other platforms.
As a Chief Test Pilot, you will support the development and field testing of Anduril’s Unmanned Aerial System products. In this position you will prepare aircraft for flight, conduct flight tests of the aircraft as the test pilot, and support the test engineering team during product development.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
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As the Chief Test Pilot for a developmental aircraft system you will be involved in the pre-PDR design processes and reviews of the aircraft design. As the aircraft matures post-CDR you will help develop system test procedures and be directly involved in laboratory environment and surrogate open-air environment testing. You will be expected to perform as a leader and mentor within the Test and Evaluation team and regularly interface with the T&E lead, Lead Flight Test Engineer, the Chief Engineer, and customer representatives. You are directly responsible for the safe first flight of the aircraft and will hold a voting position on various safety reviews, design reviews, and Airworthiness reviews. You will be directly involved with ground and flight testing of developmental aircraft to determine compliance with specification, validation of Airworthiness and operational suitability. You will work side-by-side with the Flight Test Engineers and Discipline Engineers to develop safe, effective and efficient test procedures, evaluate system and test safety, and verify the functional design of the system.
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You will be expected to coordinate flight operations efforts and facilitate the direction of the flight test program. You will coordinate the efforts of the all test pilots to approve cockpit configuration, author flight procedures, develop and verify emergency procedures, and be directly involved with test team and control room training.
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In preparation for ground and flight testing you will be an reviewer and/or approver of test procedures, flight test plans, flight test cards, operating limitations, flight test schedules, flight test support documents, and ground handling documents.
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You will attend system design and configuration control meetings and provide input to work through and decide on opening or closure/solutions for change requests. You will use your knowledge of the total system design and program requirements to determine change priority, timeline and test verification requirements leading up to software releases and aircraft block changes.
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Faced with technical and execution challenges, you will be expected to develop creative solutions to unique problems. You will be biased for action — you are empowered to engage your team to solve and fix any problem you encounter.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
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10+ years flight test engineering experience.
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Must be a Graduate of a U.S. military test pilot school (TPS), or meet DCMAINST 8210.1 series alternate education and experience qualifications for contractor UA pilot/operator
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2,000 hours Pilot-in-Command time or 500 hours in unmanned aircraft.
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Qualifying hours must Include 200 hours of Pilot-in-Command time during engineering flight test, and 10 hours during experimental flight test.
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ATP certificate or Commercial with Instrument rating
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FAA Class 2 (or Class 1) Medical, renewed annually
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Ability to travel as required to support off-site aircraft testing.
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Must possess the ability to understand new concepts quickly; apply them accurately; organize, schedule, and coordinate work phases; and, determine the appropriate approach at the task level or, with assistance, at the project level to provide solutions to a range of complex problems.
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Must have strong communication (written and verbal) and interpersonal skills, with emphasis on technical subjects and the authoring of numerous technical documents which support the safe operation of the aircraft.
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Experience providing direct support authoring flight manuals and technical documentation necessary to operate developmental aircraft, and delivering configuration controlled publications to the customer.
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Strong computer and technical software experience (MATLAB, JIRA, DOORS, MS Office, CATIA, 3DX).
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Ability to work independently and as part of a team; able to perform complex tasks
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Able to work extended and irregular hours.
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Must be able to obtain and hold a U.S. TS/SCI security clearance
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
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15+ years experience as a test pilot working with developmental aircraft
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Masters in Aerospace Engineering, or aviation related technical discipline
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Previous experience as PIC of high performance turbine aircraft, especially tactical military aircraft.
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Previous experience as a Chief Test Pilot on a manned or large UAS aircraft
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First flight experience on a developmental manned or large UAS aircraft
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Certified Flight Instructor / Instrument
$150,000 - $225,000 a year
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 all offers and are considered part of Anduril’s total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits, including comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans, employee life and disability, mental health and family planning benefits with all premiums paid by Anduril. Anduril provides fully paid medical leave, paid company holidays, and paid time off. A professional development stipend is available to all Andurilians and all on-site meals are fully subsidized during the work week through use of our gourmet kitchens. The recruiter assigned to this role can share more information about the specific compensation and benefit details associated with this role during the hiring process.
Anduril is an equal-opportunity employer committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. The Anduril team is made up of incredibly talented and unique individuals, who together are disrupting industry norms by creating new paths towards the future of defense technology. All qualified applicants will be treated with respect and receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, uniform service, Veteran status, age, or any other protected characteristic per federal, state, or local law, including those with a criminal history, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the CA Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. We actively encourage members of recognized minorities, women, Veterans, and those with disabilities to apply, and we work to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all applicants throughout the interview process. If you are someone passionate about working on problems that have a real-world impact, we’d love to hear from you!