Finance Manager - Small Drones

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

Anduril’s Tactical Reconnaissance & Strike (TRS) Finance group is seeking a Finance Manager to join our team and support the Small Drones business line. This role will own core FP&A responsibilities (close insights, forecasting, budgeting, and executive reporting) while partnering closely with Engineering, Product, Program Management, Growth, and Contracts to improve execution, investment decisions, and overall business performance.

We are not looking for someone that will just be a service provider but someone that will have a seat at the table and drive strategic & operational growth within Small Drones—helping build a scalable financial operating system for a rapidly evolving Small Drones analytics portfolio.

ABOUT THE JOB

In practice, this role will support important decisions with analytical insight and strategic and tactical recommendations to drive the long-term success of the Small Drones business line. You will lead business line forecasting, budgeting, and performance management, and communicate your findings to senior leadership. You will partner cross-functionally to operationalize hypotheses, take action, and continuously improve financial and operational rigor.

This role requires a strong interest in solving puzzles with an ability to recognize patterns and collaborate via cross-functional partnership to drive effective decision-making. Success in this position comes from a dynamic mindset, strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and an operating posture that balances speed with rigor—especially in environments with evolving requirements and high mission impact. The ideal candidate can work autonomously with minimal direction, can own ambiguous workstreams end-to-end, and consistently drives work to completion.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Business Line FP&A (Forecasting, Budgeting, Close Insights)

• Own the Small Drones financial operating rhythm: monthly close insights, forecasting, and variance drivers tied to engineering delivery and customer milestones

• Lead annual and quarterly planning cycles, including target setting, resource allocation, and performance tracking against business objectives

• Develop executive-ready reporting, dashboards, and narratives for AD&S leadership to drive decision-making

• Partner with cross-functional leaders to surface risks and opportunities early and drive corrective actions

• Unit Economics, Cost Structure, and Scaling Analysis

• Develop and maintain business-line models to quantify unit economics (Analytics + integration + support), margin drivers, and scaling assumptions

• Analyze cost drivers across labor, infrastructure, test, security/compliance, and field support to improve predictability and efficiency

• Support build/buy/partner decisions and quantify ROI for tooling, infrastructure, and capability investments

• Headcount Planning & Workforce Analytics

• Create comprehensive headcount and new hiring budgeting plans aligned to roadmap delivery and program commitments

• Lead the headcount forecasting and reporting process, ensuring alignment with financial, operational and technical goals

• Partner with People function, Talent Acquisition and department leaders to analyze staffing needs, hiring plans, and workforce costs

• Support functional leaders to develop workforce plans as part of the annual planning process

• Develop and maintain models to project salaries, benefits, and personnel-related expenses, ensuring accuracy in financial planning

• Track actuals vs. forecast for headcount, compensation, and benefits, providing insights on variances and trends

• IRAD & Internal Investment Management

• Partner closely with Small Drones engineering and product leaders to create comprehensive budgeting plans for IRAD programs and strategic initiatives

• Manage IRAD budget tracking, including burn, staffing mix, milestone outcomes, and post-gate spend visibility

• Support trade studies for where to invest IRAD vs. customer-funded development to accelerate product maturity and repeatability

• Program / Customer Execution Finance (Plus: Proposals and Pricing Support)

• Support program performance management by tracking actuals vs. forecast for key cost elements and deliverables; provide actionable insights to Program Management and Engineering leaders

• Develop metrics and a monitoring plan to ensure effective implementation of program financial plans while identifying ways to continually improve performance

• Support pricing strategy and proposal development for Small Drones pursuits as needed, including modeling scope assumptions and post-award baseline set-up

• Partner with Growth, Contracts, and Program teams to support deal constructs, assumptions, and change management to improve deliverability and financial outcomes

• Process Improvement and Tooling

• Establish and continuously improve reporting processes and tools to increase transparency, speed, and decision quality

• Drive process improvements across planning, forecasting, and performance management; standardize recurring deliverables where possible

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field; MBA or relevant professional certification (CPA, CFA) is a plus
• 5+ years of experience in financial analysis, modeling, and forecasting within a corporate FP&A, investment banking or consulting environment
• Experience supporting program finance, program execution cadence, or defense contracting environments is a plus
• Experience supporting proposals, pricing, or deal finance in a cross-functional environment is a plus
• Experience in analytics, aerospace, defense, or adjacent complex product environments is a plus
• Strong expertise in cash flow management and working capital optimization
• Advanced proficiency in Excel, financial modeling, and data analysis tools
• Demonstrated ability to lead process improvement initiatives in a finance function
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to convey complex financial information in an understandable manner
• Proven track record of managing multiple projects in a deadline-driven environment
• Ability to work autonomously with minimal direction, take ownership of ambiguous workstreams, and drive deliverables to completion
• Experience with financial reporting tools and ERP systems (i.e. Anaplan, Oracle, Foundry)
• Must be authorized to work in the United States

US Salary Range

$111,000—$147,000 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: 

Healthcare Benefits 

• US Roles: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans at little to no cost to you. 
• UK & AUS Roles: We cover full cost of medical insurance premiums for you and your dependents. 
• IE Roles: We offer an annual contribution toward your private health insurance for you and your dependents.

 

Additional Benefits 

• Income Protection: Anduril covers life and disability insurance for all employees. 
• Generous time off: Highly competitive PTO plans with a holiday hiatus in December. Caregiver & Wellness Leave is available to care for family members, bond with a new baby, or address your own medical needs. 
• Family Planning & Parenting Support: Coverage for fertility treatments (e.g., IVF, preservation), adoption, and gestational carriers, along with resources to support you and your partner from planning to parenting. 
• Mental Health Resources: Access free mental health resources 24/7, including therapy and life coaching. Additional work-life services, such as legal and financial support, are also available. 
• Professional Development: Annual reimbursement for professional development 
• Commuter Benefits: Company-funded commuter benefits based on your region. 
• Relocation Assistance: Available depending on role eligibility.

 

Retirement Savings Plan 

• US Roles: Traditional 401(k), Roth, and after-tax (mega backdoor Roth) options. 
• UK & IE Roles: Pension plan with employer match. 
• AUS Roles: Superannuation plan.

 

The recruiter assigned to this role can share more information about the specific compensation and benefit details associated with this role during the hiring process. 

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.

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• 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:

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• 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.

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