Lab Manager, Space

ABOUT THE JOB

Anduril’s Space Manufacturing team is seeking a Lab Manager to join our team. The Space Manufacturing team is responsible for the assembly, integration, and test of ground support equipment, PCBA, unit-level, and integrated systems that are vital for our aerospace and defense operations. This role owns the day-to-day operation, readiness, and discipline of our Space Manufacturing lab spaces across three locations that support development and low-rate builds of spaceflight hardware.

As the Lab Manager, you will own the facility systems, the cleanroom and contamination-control program, safety, equipment, and the flow of materials and consumables that keep build and test running across three sites. You will also build and lead your own team over time — but in the near term this is a working-manager role: you will do much of the hands-on work yourself while hiring and developing the technicians and specialists who keep these spaces running, scaling the team as the sites grow. This is a hands-on ownership role for someone who wants to be the person the floor relies on to keep demanding lab and cleanroom environments operating to spec, in a fast-paced, resource-limited environment. If you are someone who thrives in such an environment, then this role is for you.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• This role owns the day-to-day operation, readiness, and discipline of our Space Manufacturing lab spaces across three locations that support development and low-rate builds of spaceflight hardware — including gowning/anterooms, air showers, test bays, subassembly and assembly zones, and storage, so build and test run without facility-driven downtime.
• Build and lead the site support team — contamination-control, facilities/maintenance, and lab technicians and specialists: hire to plan, set direction and priorities, develop and mentor the team, and manage performance. In the near term, operate as a working manager — performing the hands-on facility, cleanroom, and equipment work directly while standing up and scaling the team.
• Serve as the single site point of contact for facilities at each location: coordinate building services, maintenance and repairs, moves, space changes, and outside vendors, and keep each space configured for the work it hosts.
• Own the contamination-control program for each cleanroom (graded ISO 5–8): gowning protocols and throughput, continuous particle monitoring, cleanroom certification cadence, and consumables (garments, gloves, wipes) stock and flow.
• Coordinate cleanroom and facility systems and their upkeep across sites — AHUs, environmental monitoring, compressed and specialty gases (including nitrogen purge), and building support systems — with facilities/maintenance and vendors to keep systems in spec and serviced.
• Serve as the day-to-day safety point of contact for each site: enforce safe work practices, coordinate hazardous-material and specialty-gas handling and storage, and interface with EHS on chemical handling, permits, and audits.
• Manage lab equipment, assets, and material flow across the sites: check-in/check-out and asset tracking, calibration and metrology scheduling (in-house and vendor), preventive maintenance, tool/fixture readiness, and receiving/kitting/stores/consumables flow in coordination with supply chain and quality.
• Drive lab and facility standards and documentation: cleanroom operating procedures, gowning and contamination-control work instructions, safety procedures, and the certification/monitoring records that keep every space audit-ready.
• Lead the transition of work into the new facility as it comes online — plan space, systems, and support-staff needs for each phase, help stand up new areas, and manage the wind-down of temporary space as capability moves.
• Partner with AI&T, manufacturing engineering, and program teams to sequence work across the sites and keep WIP moving.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 5+ years operating or managing a manufacturing lab, cleanroom, or comparable controlled production environment.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, a technical/science discipline, or equivalent hands-on experience.
• 3+ years of hands-on experience operating or managing an ISO-classified cleanroom (ISO 5–8 or equivalent) or other contamination-controlled environment.
• 2+ years working with cleanroom facility systems — HVAC/AHUs, environmental and particle monitoring, gowning and air-shower discipline, and cleanroom certification requirements.
• Hands-on safety experience with hazardous-material and compressed/specialty-gas handling and storage, including 1+ year acting as a floor- or lab-level safety point of contact.
• Experience managing lab equipment, a calibration/metrology program, and asset tracking across 50+ tools/assets (or a comparable-scale lab), plus receiving/inventory/consumables flow.
• Experience owning facilities and readiness for 2+ distinct lab or cleanroom spaces (or a multi-room/multi-building site) at once, including coordinating moves and stand-up of new space.
• 2+ years leading or mentoring a team (formal management or team-lead), with the ability to operate as a working manager — hands-on in the day-to-day while hiring, developing, and building a team.
• Strong organization and documentation discipline (able to build and enforce procedures and keep a lab audit-ready), and willing to work on-site full-time in a fast-paced hardware environment, coordinating across engineering, operations, quality, and vendors.
• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance.
• In this role, you will be subject to pre-employment and randomized substance screening, as required by the Company.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 2+ years in aerospace, defense, semiconductor, medical-device, or optics/sensor manufacturing.
• Familiarity with ISO 5 (Class 100) operations and open-die / optical / sensor assembly cleanliness requirements.
• Experience standing up a new lab or cleanroom, or bringing 1+ new cleanroom phases/areas online.
• Familiarity with quality and workmanship standards relevant to the work (e.g., IPC-610/620, AS9100, NASA-STD-8739 series).
• Experience coordinating EHS programs and specialty-gas / hazmat storage at scale.
• Currently possesses and is able to maintain an active U.S. Top Secret security clearance,