Systems Engineering Manager Jobs in Brea, CA (NOW HIRING)

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Connected Warfare Division builds mission-critical systems that enable global command and control for time-sensitive, multi-domain operations. By fusing robotics, sensor networks, and advanced software, we create high-performance, resilient software for autonomous systems and interconnected mesh ecosystems that empower our military partners with a comprehensive source of truth for rapid decision-making. 
The Edge Compute and Comms (ECC) Engineering team, you will rapidly prototype and create new products and solutions to address a wide variety of customer problems involving software, hardware, networking, autonomy/robotics, systems integration, 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. You will work on new technology introduction and enhancing products like the Menace Family of Systems to bring integrated C4 (Compute, Comms, Command, and Control) capabilities to the tactical edge.

ABOUT THE ROLE

As an Engineering Manager for the Edge Compute and Communication group, you will lead a high-performing team that leverages cutting-edge technologies like Rust and C++ to deliver complex, high-impact software systems that operate with extreme efficiency and reliability at the tactical edge. You'll be instrumental in shaping architectures optimized for resource-constrained environments, ensuring seamless communication and compute across our distributed network. You will be responsible for building the team's culture, driving execution, and ensuring software quality and mission success. You'll partner with cross-functional leadership-including seasoned engineers and product managers-to balance rapid delivery with robust, scalable architecture, always anchoring decisions in the realities of connected warfare.
A Note on This Role: This is an Engineering Manager role focused on both technical (opinionated about architecture, reliability, performance and quality, especially for low-level systems programming and distributed edge deployments) and non-technical (people, process, and project leadership).

• Lead & Mentor: Manage and grow a team of 10-15 engineers, fostering a high-performance, high-integrity culture focused on mission-critical delivery and rapid iteration. Drive the adoption of best-in-class systems programming practices, emphasizing performance, memory safety, and concurrent design patterns.
• Strategic Partnership: Collaborate closely with product, mission systems, and technical leadership to define team objectives, prioritize work streams, and align with broader Connected Warfare initiatives.
• Drive Execution: Ensure the timely and reliable delivery of complex software projects by removing impediments, providing the necessary resources, and promoting agile methodologies.
• Stakeholder Liaison: Serve as the primary conduit between your team and senior leadership, communicating status updates, managing expectations, and advocating for your team's needs.
• Technical Ownership: Supervise and monitor architecture, design, and implementation of features for high-performance, low-latency edge applications, ensuring they meet stringent quality standards and customer requirements.
• Drive technical excellence in areas like memory safety (Rust), concurrency, inter-process communication, and hardware-software interface design. Assist engineers in solving complex reliability, performance, and operational issues inherent in distributed, real-time systems.
• Quality & Process Ownership: Champion best practices in software design, code reviews, testing for embedded deployments, and CI/CD processes to ensure robust, scalable, and maintainable systems that are mission-ready.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with technical peers and other teams to support system integration, resolve technical challenges, and continuously improve operational workflows.
• People Development: Invest in the professional growth of your team through coaching, feedback, and structured career development plans. Cultivate a "whatever it takes" mindset and promote extreme ownership.
• Operational Insight: Occasionally travel (up to 10% of the time) to work alongside teammates and observe systems in real-world operational settings, ensuring that software solutions address actual field challenges.

• 3+ years of experience as a software engineering manager, with a proven record of building and leading high-performing teams.
• 8+ years of hands-on software development experience, demonstrating a strong technical foundation in building resilient, high-performance software for distributed edge systems, networked applications, and Embedded Linux environments.
• Demonstrated expertise in C++ or Rust (or both), with a deep understanding of systems programming principles, memory management, concurrency, and performance optimization for resource-constrained environments.
• Successful track record of delivering complex software projects under tight deadlines while managing stakeholder relationships in a matrixed organization.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills, with the ability to inspire and develop talented engineers.
• Expertise in agile development methodologies and process improvement.
• Must be eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Top Secret security clearance.

• Experience managing teams in mission-critical domains such as command and control, robotics, or defense applications.
• Familiarity with modern DevOps and CI/CD practices tailored for embedded and distributed deployments.
• Background in developing software for distributed systems, connected ecosystems and hardware integrations.
• Direct experience in IoT device management, telemetry, and secure over-the-air (OTA) update mechanisms is highly valued.
• Experience working within or closely with multi-domain operation teams.
• A deep understanding of networking, security, and system integration challenges in high-stakes environments.
• Familiarity with low-level hardware interactions, device drivers, or firmware development is a strong plus.