Director of Advanced Capabilities

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 Maritime delivers platforms, systems, and integrated effects in the maritime domain. Our autonomous vehicles (sub-surface and surface) are the cornerstone of these capabilities, and we continually strive to push the boundaries of the possible in terms of endurance, autonomy and mission capability. The Maritime team develops and maintains core products and payloads, and adapts and applies those products to serve a wide variety of defense, IC and commercial customers in US and international markets.

ABOUT THE JOB

We are looking for a Director of Advanced Capabilities to join our rapidly growing team in Costa Mesa, CA or Washington, D.C. In this role, you will serve as the critical bridge between cutting-edge engineering and real-world naval warfare. You will lead the team that defines how Anduril's autonomous maritime systems — operating collaboratively, across domains, and at scale — change the calculus of modern naval warfare.

The ideal candidate possesses a rare combination of military operational expertise, analytical rigor, and corporate strategic vision. You are as comfortable discussing high-fidelity mission modeling with software engineers as you are discussing operational concepts with senior military commanders.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Drive Warfighting Capability Analysis & CONOP development: Lead warfighting capability analysis across the Maritime Division. Author the tactical "playbook"—defining Concepts of Operations (CONOPS) for manned and unmanned platforms, and employment strategies for how operators will utilize Anduril’s maritime products.
• Bridge the Gap Between Tech & Tactics: Distill complex operational research and threat analysis into clear, prioritized capability needs for engineering teams, ensuring product development solves real-world operational problems.
• Conduct Future Threat Studies: Lead forward-looking studies to project operational challenges years into the future, identifying capability gaps and defining what new products Anduril must develop to help customers maintain overmatch.
• Act as Chief Translator & Briefer: Serve as the primary operational interlocutor for customers. Lead high-level briefings, mission modeling reviews, guide wargaming scenarios and Virtual Reality (VR) tactical demonstrations.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with the Head of Growth, maritime General Managers, and Maritime leadership to align business development strategies with technical roadmaps and operational problems.
• Lead & Scale a World-Class Team: Manage, mentor, and grow a global team of warfighting capability analysts. Develop modern analytical tools, modeling methodologies, and wargaming approaches that lead the operational analysis field and drive Anduril’s product development.
• Define Integrated Effects: Lead cross-domain analysis spanning sub-surface, surface, air, and the broader joint kill web — defining how Anduril maritime systems contribute to integrated effects beyond any single domain.

 

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Exceptional Leadership & Gravitas: Proven ability to command a room, build trust, and communicate complex concepts to stakeholders ranging from software engineers to 4-star Admirals.
• Strategic & Analytical Experience: 10+ years of experience in defense strategy, operational planning, operational analysis, systems engineering or related technical fields.
• Technical Literacy: Strong grasp of analysis, modeling and simulation (M&S) tools, or operational research methodologies.
• Defense Ecosystem Knowledge: Deep understanding of Joint and naval warfare, the maritime domain, and the defense acquisition lifecycle.
• Deep analytical experience: Demonstrated experience building or leading a modeling, simulation, and wargaming capability — constructive simulation, operational analysis, and campaign/mission modeling — with the ability to defend methodology and assumptions to both engineering and senior operational audiences.
• Autonomy: Deep understanding of autonomous and collaboratively autonomous systems, manned-unmanned teaming, and integrated cross-domain (joint) effects — with the ability to translate the operational advantages of scale, attritability, and software-defined autonomy into warfighting concepts.
• Education: Degree or Post Grad degree in Operations Research and Statistics.
• Security Clearance: Currently possesses and is able to maintain an active U.S. Top Secret security clearance.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Military Service: Prior military experience or active-duty operational background, with first-hand experience in tactical planning, mission execution, or maritime defense systems.
• Maritime Domain Expertise: Direct experience working in maritime or naval environments, with specific knowledge of undersea warfare (USW), Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW), Anti Surface Warfare (ASuW), mine countermeasures (MCM), maritime domain awareness (MDA), counter-targeting and related missions.
• Technical / Software Background: Experience with software development, systems engineering, or digital engineering tools to help drive the development of internal analytical tools and product design concepts.

 

US Salary Range$220,000—$292,000 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 contact@anduril.com. 

• Exercise Caution with Unsolicited Outreach: If you receive any communication that appears suspicious, contains grammatical errors, or makes unusual requests, do not engage. Always confirm the sender's email domain is @anduril.com before providing any personal information or clicking on links.

• 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 contact@anduril.com. Your proactive caution is invaluable in protecting your personal information and upholding the security and trustworthiness of our recruitment efforts.

 

Data Privacy

To view Anduril's candidate data privacy policy, please visit https://anduril.com/applicant-privacy-notice/. 

 

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.