Composite Manufacturing Engineer III - Aerospace (DoD)

Karman Space and Defense; Mukilteo (WA); On-site; USD 105,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) with match

Paid time off

HSA with company contributions

FSA

Company life insurance

Disability coverage

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Karman Space & Defense is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer III in Mukilteo, WA to support composite manufacturing and tooling development. The role focuses on producibility reviews, tooling design, documentation, and cross-functional collaboration with customers to meet technical and program requirements.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years in aerospace manufacturing or composites, familiarity with autoclave/press molding, GD&T, and strong problem-solving abilities.

Qualifications

• 5 years of experience in aerospace manufacturing or composite design.
• Experience with composite manufacturing methodologies; autoclave or press molding experience is a plus.
• Knowledge of mid-size corporate processes and systems.
• Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) and blueprint reading expertise.
• Proficiency in modeling and drafting.
• Experience designing molds, assembly fixtures, machining fixtures, or other tooling used for composite processing.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and specifications.
• Experience with design-for-manufacturing and assembly for low-rate and rate production programs.
• Knowledge of developing composite parts and assemblies for military or commercial systems.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities across concurrent projects.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• One-on-one customer support experience.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and root-cause analysis skills with attention to detail.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• A current U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Secret security clearance or the ability to obtain and maintain one.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day status of assigned engineering and manufacturing activities to meet program and customer requirements.
• Review customer drawings and specifications to evaluate producibility and identify improvements for cost-effective fabrication.
• Formulate conceptual product designs that satisfy customer and system requirements.
• Develop manufacturing process documentation for composite parts and assemblies.
• Design or review required tooling to meet production rate and quality needs.
• Act as a subject matter expert and technical interface with customers for status updates, reviews, and problem-resolution discussions.
• Support root-cause analysis and contribute to corrective action development for nonconformances.
• Perform peer reviews of build documentation and tooling designs.
• Develop detailed proposals in support of customer requests for quotation or information.

Skills

Aerospace manufacturing experience

Composite design

GD&T

Engineering drawings reading

Molds & tooling design

DFM/DFMA

Independent worker

Customer interface

Problem solving

Strong communication

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Job description

Karman Space & Defense is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer III in Mukilteo, WA to support composite manufacturing and tooling development. The role focuses on producibility reviews, tooling design, documentation, and cross-functional collaboration with customers to meet technical and program requirements.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years in aerospace manufacturing or composites, familiarity with autoclave/press molding, GD&T, and strong problem-solving abilities.