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Defense Contractor Software Engineer Jobs in Anaheim, CA

Flyer Defense

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Full Stack Software Engineer

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$130K - $150K/yr

As our Full-Stack Software Engineer, you'll own the internal platform that keeps production and ... Flyer Defense is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a proud federal contractor. We provide equal ...

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Defense Contractor Software Engineer information

See Anaheim, CA salary details

$66.5K

$154.4K

$215.1K

How much do defense contractor software engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 15, 2026, the average yearly pay for defense contractor software engineer in Anaheim, CA is $154,443.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $125,600.00 and $181,100.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What skills and qualifications are needed to thrive as a defense contractor software engineer?

To excel as a Defense Contractor Software Engineer, you should possess strong programming skills in languages like C++, Java, or Python, a bachelor's degree in computer science or engineering, and eligibility for security clearance. Familiarity with tools and frameworks such as embedded systems, real-time operating systems (RTOS), and secure software development methodologies is often required, along with certifications like Security+ or CISSP. Outstanding problem-solving, attention to detail, and the ability to communicate effectively within multidisciplinary teams are valuable soft skills. These capabilities ensure project success, compliance with stringent regulations, and the ability to innovate in high-stakes, mission-critical environments.

What does a defense contractor software engineer do?

As a Defense Contractor Software Engineer, your daily responsibilities may include designing, coding, and testing software for defense systems, debugging complex issues, and ensuring products comply with security and regulatory standards. You'll often collaborate closely with systems engineers, hardware teams, and project managers to deliver integrated solutions. Depending on your project, you might also participate in technical reviews, support integration and testing activities, and maintain thorough documentation. Working within a multidisciplinary team, you will play a key role in delivering reliable and secure technology critical to national defense.

What is a defense contractor software engineer?

A Defense Contractor Software Engineer develops, tests, and maintains software systems for military and defense applications. They work for private companies that contract with government agencies, such as the Department of Defense, to create secure and reliable software solutions. Their work often involves embedded systems, cybersecurity, and compliance with strict government regulations. This role requires a security clearance, knowledge of specialized programming languages, and an understanding of defense industry standards.

What job categories do people searching Defense Contractor Software Engineer jobs in Anaheim, CA look for?

The top searched job categories for Defense Contractor Software Engineer jobs in Anaheim, CA are:

What cities near Anaheim, CA are hiring for Defense Contractor Software Engineer jobs?

Cities near Anaheim, CA with the most Defense Contractor Software Engineer job openings:

Defense Contractor Software Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Defense Contractor Software Engineer job openings in Anaheim, CA as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $154,443 per year, or $74.3 per hour.

Software Engineer, Air Defense

Anduril Industries

Irvine, CA

Full-time

Re-posted 18 days ago

Anduril rating

9.1

Company rating: 9.1 out of 10

Anduril

Based on 17 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

7.4

Company rating compared to similar companies: 7.4 out of 10

Manufacturers average

Based on 75,399 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

Job description

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Air Defense team builds robots that find other robots and knock them out of the sky. At a time when air superiority can no longer be taken for granted, the Air Defense Team provides mission critical capabilities to warfighters. From detection to tracking, identification, deterrence, and defeat, our family of networked sensors and effectors enables our customers to rapidly close the kill chain against a broad range of Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) threats. Working across product, engineering, sales, logistics, operations, and mission success, the Air Defense team develops, tests, deploys, and sustains the Anduril Air Defense Family of Systems (FoS) in challenging operational environments worldwide.

ABOUT THE JOB

We're seeking a Software Engineer to join our rapidly growing team in Irvine, CA. As a Software Engineer on the Air Defense team, you will solve a wide variety of problems involving networking, autonomy, systems integration, robotics, and more, while making pragmatic engineering tradeoffs along the way. Your efforts will ensure that Anduril products seamlessly work together to achieve a variety of critical outcomes. Above all, Mission Software Engineers are driven by a "Whatever It Takes" mindset-executing in an expedient, scalable, and pragmatic way while keeping the mission top-of-mind and making sound engineering decisions to deliver successful outcomes correctly, on-time, and with high quality.

WHAT YOU'LL DO 

  • Own the software solutions that are deployed to customers
  • Write code to improve products and scale the mission capability to more customers
  • Collaborate across multiple teams to plan, build, and test complex functionality
  • Create and analyze metrics that are leveraged for debugging and monitoring
  • Triage issues, root cause failures, and coordinate next steps
  • Partner with end-users to turn needs into features while balancing user experience with engineering constraints
  • Travel up to 30% of time to build, test, and deploy capabilities in the real world

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS 

  • Strong engineering background from industry or school, ideally in areas/fields such as Computer Science, Software Engineering, Mathematics, or Physics
  • 3+ years working with a variety of programming languages such as Python, C++, Rust, Go, JavaScript, etc.
  • Experience building software solutions involving significant amounts of data processing and analysis
  • Ability to quickly understand and navigate complex systems and established code bases
  • A desire to work on critical software that has a real-world impact
  • Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • Strong background with focus in Physics, Mathematics, and/or Motion Planning to inform modeling & simulation (M&S) and physical systems
  • Developing and testing multi-agent autonomous systems and deploying in real-world environments
  • Feature and algorithm development with an understanding of behavior trees
  • Developing software/hardware for flight systems and safety critical functionality
  • Distributed communication networks and message standards
  • Knowledge of military systems and operational tactics

Working at Anduril

About Anduril, in their own words

From Anduril

As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril delivers cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the warfighter in months, not years.

What Anduril employees say

Pay

Benefits

Hours and flexibility

Workplace

Get the full story on Breakroom

Anduril Industries logo

About Anduril Industries

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Anduril Industries is a trailblazer in the technology industry based in Costa Mesa, CA, US. Founded in 2017 by Palmer Luckey, the creator of Oculus VR, the company focuses on developing innovative technology to equip and empower those in the defense sector. Its primary products include cutting-edge autonomous systems and AI software that assist in combating threats to national and global security. The mission of Anduril Industries is to integrate technology and defense by building transformative, scalable solutions that ensure a safer world.

Industry

Guided missile and space vehicle manufacturing

Company size

501 - 1,000 Employees

Headquarters location

Costa Mesa, CA, US

Year founded

2017

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