Senior Mechanical Engineer, Environmental Control Systems

About this role

<div class="content-intro"><p>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.</p></div><p><strong>ABOUT THE TEAM</strong><br>Connected Warfare is the team at Anduril dedicated to the modernization of the command-and-control systems of U.S. and Allied forces. New technologies and adversaries demand a novel approach to battlefield intelligence, and you will be the driving force behind the integration of cutting-edge edge computing technologies that make that a reality. Such systems inherently require both electrical and mechanical components and we are looking for highly skilled engineers to own the design of electromechanical subassemblies on these tightly integrated products. Your work will not only create new products but also help to change the balance of defense capabilities on a global scale.<br><br><strong>ABOUT THE ROLE:</strong><br>We build shelters that go to the fight. You'll own the systems that keep them livable — and mission-capable — when the environment is trying to shut them down.  This is a rare role: a chance to own an entire environmental control system end-to-end — from first-principles sizing calculations to the moment a soldier flips it on in the field — inside a small, tight-knit team that ships real hardware to real users. Our TITAN and Menace I shelters are the command posts, operations centers, and living spaces that warfighters depend on in the harshest environments on earth, and the HVAC/ECU is what makes them habitable and lethal. Today we work closely with a specialty supplier; over the next few years, we're bringing that design capability fully in-house — and we're looking for the engineer to lead that transition. You'll go deep on vapor-compression systems, psychrometrics, and CFD, and go wide across supplier partnerships, hands-on prototyping, and field testing alongside the operators who use what you build. You'll also define the technical roadmap for what our ECUs look like five years from now. We move fast, we ship hardware, and we listen hard to the warfighter. If you've spent your career wanting deeper ownership over the systems you design — and you want to point that expertise at something that matters — this is the seat for you.</p> <p><strong>WHAT YOU'LL DO</strong></p> <ul> <li>Own hardware from concept through real-world use</li> <li>Serve as a key part of a tight-knit product team</li> <li>Work with customers to understand real battlefield challenges</li> <li>Partner closely with our HVAC/ECU supplier to specify, evaluate, and refine hardware for our mission sets — driving requirements, reviewing designs, and making component and integration trade-offs</li> <li>Build the technical foundation and roadmap to bring HVAC/ECU design in-house over time</li> <li>Own the selection, sizing, and integration of internal components: compressors, condenser/evaporator coils, blowers/fans, expansion devices, refrigerant circuits, and controls</li> <li>Apply thermodynamics, heat transfer, and psychrometrics from first principles to size systems for extreme-environment performance (high-ambient cooling, sub-zero heating, high-latent-load conditions)</li> <li>Use CFD and thermal analysis to evaluate and optimize airflow, coil performance, condensation management, and packaging in tightly constrained, ruggedized enclosures</li> <li>Use engineering first-principles, analysis, and testing to ensure designs survive battlefield conditions (blowing sand, salt air, shock/vibration, air/land/sea transport)</li> <li>Get hands-on to build and test prototypes and first articles</li> <li>Travel to exercises and work alongside warfighters to support and collect feedback on our products</li> <li>Iterate on designs and work with suppliers and our manufacturing team to build and deliver them at scale</li> </ul> <p><strong>REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS</strong></p> <ul> <li>Demonstrated ability to design, prototype, and ship hardware</li> <li>Past record of design ownership in a team setting (professional or otherwise)</li> <li>High competence with, and fluid use of, engineering first principles</li> <li>7+ years of professional mechanical experience, with a focus in HVAC / refrigeration / environmental control unit design</li> <li>Demonstrated experience in vapor-compression system design — component selection, sizing, and integration of compressors, heat exchangers/coils, refrigerant circuits, and air-moving equipment</li> <li>Strong grounding in thermodynamics, heat transfer, and fluid dynamics</li> <li>Experience working with suppliers or vendors on hardware design and build</li> <li>CAD skills (any platform) and ability to make high-quality engineering drawings</li> <li>Demonstrated hands-on fabrication skills</li> <li>BS, M.Eng, MS or PhD in Mechanical Engineering or a related field</li> <li>Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S.…