Chief Systems Architect, SIG

ABOUT THE TEAM

Maritime Digital Production (MDP) is the software and digital systems function within Anduril's Heavy Metal division. We build and deploy the full technology stack that powers Anduril's shipbuilding factories: the data infrastructure that makes every machine and sensor visible in real time, the manufacturing execution system (ArsenalOS) that workers and planners use every shift, the scheduling engine that replans production in minutes instead of days, and the AI systems that eliminate manual toil from both the shop floor and business operations.

MDP operates at the boundary between Operational Technology and Information Technology. Our systems live where factory-floor machines, edge compute, and OT networks meet enterprise platforms and cloud infrastructure. We incubate solutions close to the production line, validate them with real operators building real hardware, harden them for reliability and security, and then scale them across multiple sites. The environment is fast, physical, and consequential. When our systems go down, production stops. The output of our work is not a dashboard: it is a ship.

This is not a support function. It is a strategic investment by Anduril in the premise that digitizing the manufacturing lifecycle end-to-end, from engineering definition through scheduling through execution through field feedback, is how Heavy Metal will out-build, out-adapt, and out-scale the traditional defense industrial base. MDP is scaling from a founding team to 70+ engineers across multiple U.S. sites. You will be joining early, working on hard problems with real operational stakes, and shaping how manufacturing software is built at Anduril from the ground up.

ABOUT THE JOB

As Chief Systems Architect leading the Systems Integrity Group (SIG), you will build the simulation and digital twin validation frameworks that ensure manufactured output matches engineering intent. You will own the architecture and development of tooling that verifies system integrity through simulation, 3D visualization, and automated verification and validation across MDP's entire digital production stack.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Architect and build federated co-simulation and digital twin validation frameworks that model the factory, manufacturing processes, and production systems before changes hit the shop floor.
• Develop verification tooling and automated V&V frameworks that validate manufactured output matches engineering intent, from component geometry to assembly sequences to system performance.
• Partner with manufacturing engineers and factory operators to understand production workflows and translate them into software requirements.
• Write production-quality code with comprehensive tests, participating in code review and architectural discussions.
• Lead the development of simulation frameworks using technologies such as Unreal Engine 5, creating high-fidelity 3D visualizations of factory operations and manufacturing processes.
• Build V&V automation pipelines that continuously validate system integrity across design, manufacturing, and operations domains.
• Design and implement the integration layer between simulation frameworks and live production data from the Unified Namespace.
• Deploy and operate your systems in factory environments, including edge compute clusters and OT networks.
• Own the architectural vision for how simulation, digital twin, and verification systems integrate with MES, ERP, PLM, and other enterprise systems.
• Leverage AI tooling (coding assistants, automation) in your development workflow and contribute to team engineering practices.
• Join an on-call rotation supporting production factory systems.
• Hire, mentor, and grow a team of engineers focused on simulation, visualization, and V&V capabilities.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 12+ years of experience in a software engineering role building production systems, ideally in a fast-paced environment.
• Deep expertise in simulation frameworks, digital twin architectures, 3D visualization systems, or verification and validation automation.
• Strong technical fluency in modern software architectures, APIs, distributed systems, CI/CD, and cloud or edge infrastructure.
• Demonstrated experience architecting and shipping complex systems that integrate simulation, real-time data, and visualization components.
• Experience with real-time 3D engines (Unreal Engine, Unity) or comparable simulation and visualization platforms.
• Experience building systems that must operate reliably under real-world operational constraints (high availability, low latency, or constrained environments).
• Proven ability to lead technical initiatives and drive architectural decisions in a multi-team environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across engineering, manufacturing, and operations teams.
• Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
• U.S. Person status is required as this position needs to access export controlled data.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in manufacturing, industrial, or OT-adjacent domains (MES, SCADA, PLC integration, factory automation, IoT).
• Hands-on experience with simulation frameworks (OMNeT++, Simulink, SimPy, CARLA, Gazebo), Unreal Engine 5 for industrial visualization, and V&V automation frameworks.
• Experience architecting digital twins or federated co-simulation platforms for manufacturing, aerospace, or defense applications.
• Background in computational geometry, CAD/CAM systems, or verification that manufactured geometry matches design intent.
• Familiarity with frontier AI tooling, AI coding assistants, and AI-enabled software development workflows.
• Experience in hyper-growth startup-like environments, with demonstrated success balancing speed, ambiguity, and long-term system health.
• Familiarity with enterprise systems such as ERP, MES, WMS, or manufacturing planning systems.
• Experience with requirements management tooling (Jama, DOORS, Polarion) and formal traceability programs.
• Experience in manufacturing industries with hands-on exposure to assembly lines or production environments.
• Experience standing up independent V&V functions or owning system-level integration testing across multiple delivery teams.
• Eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance.