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Anduril › Engineering

Software Engineer - Payload Integrations

Anduril · Costa Mesa

Pay
$167K–$222K
From the posting
Posted
Oct 19, 2026
Tracked open for 7 days
Team
Tactical Recon & Strike
Full-time
Anduril hiring
2,504 open roles
1,686 in engineering
Security clearancePythonRustC++
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Typical software engineer pay at startups: $221K median, middle half $188K–$256K (2,406 posted ranges).

Typical engineering pay at Anduril: $146K–$194K — median of 1496 listed ranges.

Across all startups we track: $170K–$242K for engineering roles (8,046 listed ranges).

About the role

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

The Payload Integrations team owns everything that connects to the vehicle beyond the base platform. This includes gimbals and EO/IR sensors, arming and fuzing devices, weapons payloads, radios, and other mission hardware. We build the software and interfaces that enable these payloads to reliably run on the vehicle. Nearly every customer program needs a new or modified payload, which makes this team a critical contributor to nearly everything we ship. Our work goes from the lab bench to hardware-in-the-loop testing to live flight, and it has to work in a variety of demanding operational environments.

ABOUT THE JOB

We are looking for a Software Engineer to join the Payload Integrations team. You will design, build, and maintain the software that brings new sensors, communications systems, and mission payloads onto our autonomous vehicles. You will work closely with hardware, electrical, autonomy, and systems engineering teams, as well as outside payload vendors, to turn new hardware into dependable, well-tested components of the vehicle. If you are self-motivated, hold yourself to high standards, enjoy working where software meets hardware, and do well in a fast-paced, high-autonomy environment, this role is for you.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

  • Design and implement software integrations for gimbals, EO/IR sensors, radios, arming and fuzing devices, and other mission payloads on autonomous vehicles.
  • Define and maintain clean, reusable interfaces between payloads and the vehicle software stack, to enable new payloads without changes to autonomy code.
  • Work through vendor interface control documents (ICDs), implement device drivers and protocol handlers, and lead hardware bring-up in the lab.
  • Build simulation, emulation, and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test infrastructure to evaluate payload behavior before flight.
  • Support integration events, ground tests, and flight tests, and root-cause issues across software, firmware, and hardware boundaries.
  • Partner with program teams to scope, estimate, and deliver payload integrations for customer projects on tight timelines.
  • Contribute to the safety-critical software behind arming and weapons-related payloads, with a high bar for rigor, review, and testing.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
  • 3+ years of professional software development experience, with a focus on embedded systems, robotics, or hardware integration.
  • Strong experience with Rust and/or C++, plus working proficiency in Python.
  • Hands-on experience integrating hardware over common interfaces and protocols (e.g., UART/RS-422, CAN, Ethernet/UDP, SPI/I2C).
  • Experience reading datasheets and ICDs and turning them into robust software implementations.
  • Comfort debugging at the hardware/software boundary using lab equipment and bus/packet analysis.
  • Experience developing on Linux-based systems.
  • Excellent collaboration and communication skills, including working with external vendors and cross-functional engineering teams.
  • US Persons: Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • Experience integrating gimbals, cameras, EO/IR sensors, or tactical radios and datalinks.
  • Familiarity with safety-critical or arming/fuzing systems and related development practices.
  • Experience with UAS, missiles, or other aerospace/defense platforms.
  • Experience building HIL/SITL test environments or hardware emulators.
  • Familiarity with middleware and serialization frameworks (e.g., Protobuf, gRPC, DDS, MAVLink).
  • Experience with embedded Linux, real-time systems, or resource-constrained environments.
  • Background supporting field integration and flight test campaigns.
  • Active U.S. security clearance, or the ability to obtain one.
US Salary Range
$167,000—$222,000 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.

From Anduril's careers page. First seen Oct 20, 2026, last verified Oct 27, 2026.

Anduril hiring momentum

Open roles: 2,504, up 86 (+4%) over the last 30 days.

Jul 15, 2026 · 2,168Oct 27, 2026 · 2,504

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