Staff Creative Director (Sand Table) at Andurilindustries

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 Sand Table team at Anduril develops our revolutionary platform for visualizing future defense scenarios. We transform massive amounts of data into an intuitive, interactive 3D command center, serving as the visual interface for mission simulations, a key business development tool, and a powerful demonstration of our advanced capabilities to government and military leaders. We take ambitious ideas from concept to completion, building the core with high-performance C++ and enabling rapid feature expansion through modern scripting and plugin frameworks. The Sand Table team manages the complex logistics for delivering flawless augmented reality demonstrations in headset to critical stakeholders. As a cross-functional group of builders, strategists, and operators, we combine the creative energy of a top game studio with the rigorous discipline of national security to shape how the future of defense is visualized and understood. ABOUT THE ROLE As Creative Director for the Sand Table team, you will define and champion the creative vision for next-generation military wargaming and briefing experiences in XR environments. You will lead a talented team of artists, systems design, and scenario design while personally driving hands-on work to shape intuitive, compelling experiences that enable military stakeholders to interact with complex simulations and briefing tools. This role requires balancing strategic creative leadership with direct execution—owning the user experience and core gameplay features that make our XR platform essential for mission-critical operations. WHAT YOU'LL DO Creative Vision & Team Leadership • Develop and communicate the overarching design for Sand Table's wargaming and briefing experiences, ensuring alignment with customer needs and business objectives • Establish design principles, quality standards, and design frameworks that drive consistency and excellence across all experiences • Lead the evolution of design team structure, processes, and best practices to scale with program growth • Foster a culture of design excellence, trust, open communication, user focus, and continuous improvement • Build, mentor, and manage a multidisciplinary design team including artists, systems designers, and scenario designers • Partner with engineering, production, and art leadership to align vision with technical execution • Act as a key stakeholder in release processes, representing user experience quality and approving final builds Hands-on Design • Personally design and iterate on core experience features to create compelling scenario concepts and mission designs that demonstrate product capabilities for business development and customer engagements • Own end-to-end experience design from concept through production and post-launch iteration, ensuring user-centric outcomes • Develop design workflows and documentation using standardized frameworks that enhance scalability and production efficiency • Conduct design reviews, set clear priorities and expectations, translating stakeholder needs into actionable scope of work for your team • Prototype and validate design concepts directly in game engine environments • Conduct regular build reviews and provide feedback to ensure high-quality user experience throughout development Customer & Stakeholder Engagement • Collaborate with product managers and military customers to understand operational requirements and translate them into intuitive, mission-effective experiences • Present and communicate design roadmaps and creative directions to stakeholders, ensuring alignment with customer expectations • Collaborate with business lines to scope design deliverables for contract budgets and proposals • Develop and maintain effective working relationships with stakeholders to ensure designs support successful mission outcomes from prototyping through production phases • Engage with users through testing sessions and feedback loops to validate design decisions REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS • 10+ years of professional experience in game design, experience design, or interactive simulation development • 5+ years of leadership experience managing multidisciplinary design teams • Proven track record delivering AAA game experiences or complex interactive systems from concept to launch, with direct accountability for player experiences • Expertise in player systems, gameplay loops, and campaign design for strategy or simulation games • Experience designing for 3D environments, real-time visualization systems, or XR platforms • Strong portfolio demonstrating end-to-end ownership of design experiences in shipped products • Excellent written and verbal communication skills with experience presenting creative vision to executive, partner, and customer audiences • User-centric design philosophy with demonstrated use of analytics, feedback, and user research to inform decisions • Experience working in cross-functional environments, collaborating with engineering, art, UX, and production disciplines • Ability to balance creative innovation with production reality, business constraints, and customer requirements • Comfortable setting and achieving design goals in ambiguous environments with competing priorities • Proven track record of being self-driven and relentlessly proactive in solving design challenges without waiting for direction • Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance • Ability to travel up to 15% of the time to support customer meetings, user testing sessions, and field evaluations PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS • Experience with AAA strategy, RTS, or simulation game development with shipped titles • Background in both art and design disciplines with understanding of production pipelines • Experience continuous content delivery models • Prior experience with defense applications, military simulations, or government customers • Understanding of Scrum/Agile methodologies and experience implementing team structures • Knowledge of spatial UI design principles and ergonomics for XR environments • Experience with Custom Game Engines, Unity or Unreal Engine US Salary Range$191,000—$253,000 USDThe 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. 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