Composite Manufacturing Engineer II – Aerospace & Defense

Karman Space and Defense; Huntington Beach (CA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) match

Paid time off

HSA

FSA

Life and AD&D insurance

Disability insurance

Job summary

Karman Space and Defense is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer II in Huntington Beach, CA to develop and improve composite aerospace manufacturing processes. You will collaborate with engineering, operations, and program management to create documentation, design tooling, and drive hands-on project execution.

This role supports production readiness, quality, and the integration of composite materials into customer programs, with opportunities to influence pricing and lead-time estimates.

Qualifications

• Minimum 2+ years of experience in Manufacturing Engineering or composite design.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering specifications, including drawings.
• Proficiency in geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) and blueprint reading.
• Demonstrated understanding of identifying root cause and Non‑Conformance issues.
• Experience with tooling used for composite processing or mechanical assembly.
• Experience supporting design-for-manufacturing and assembly activities.

Responsibilities

• Develops manufacturing processes for composite aerospace products to meet customer requirements.
• Creates fabrication, process, and control documentation to support composite production.
• Designs and drafts tooling required to meet program production rates and quality standards.
• Coordinates day‑to‑day project activities to ensure technical objectives and customer needs are met.
• Serves as a technical interface with customers, providing program updates and participating in reviews.
• Performs root cause analysis and develops corrective actions for product or process issues.
• Reviews build documentation and tooling designs to ensure accuracy and manufacturability.
• Supports development of pricing and lead‑time estimates for customer requests for quotes.
• Analyzes and improves existing manufacturing processes to enhance efficiency.
• Collaborates with multi‑disciplinary teams to ensure effective integration of composite manufacturing methods.

Skills

Composite manufacturing

Root cause analysis

Tooling experience

DFM/DFMA

Blueprint reading

GD&T

Job description

Karman Space and Defense is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer II in Huntington Beach, CA to develop and improve composite aerospace manufacturing processes. You will collaborate with engineering, operations, and program management to create documentation, design tooling, and drive hands-on project execution.

This role supports production readiness, quality, and the integration of composite materials into customer programs, with opportunities to influence pricing and lead-time estimates.