Manufacturing Engineer III – DFM, Fixtures & Process Launch

Karman; Vernon, Northern (CT, KY); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid time off

Health Savings Account (HSA)

Job summary

Karman Space & Defense is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer III to help ensure products are designed and manufactured for optimal producibility, quality, and efficiency across the full lifecycle. You will influence early design decisions, develop production processes, and support continuous improvement with engineering, production, and product teams.

The role follows a 9/80 schedule with varied shifts and an opportunity to contribute to defense systems across hypersonics and propulsion projects.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent.
• Minimum of 4 years of relevant industry experience.
• Hands-on experience in fabrication/assembly.
• Ability to read and generate blueprints and technical diagrams.
• Familiarity with basic material properties and in-process verification/validation.
• Proficiency in GD&T.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Drive design for manufacturability and influence early development decisions.
• Mentor junior manufacturing engineers to strengthen capabilities.
• Establish, monitor, and validate production processes and controls as a process owner or SME.
• Design, develop, and implement fixtures, tools, and inspection gauges for fabrication and assembly.
• Coordinate material and resource planning with product teams to support schedules.
• Lead manufacturing workflow planning and production line setup to optimize efficiency.
• Solve complex technical problems using engineering data and inspection tools.
• Collaborate with engineers across disciplines to ensure cohesive execution.

Skills

Mentoring

Analytical thinking

Communication

Design-for-manufacturability

Education

Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing or Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T)

Blueprint reading/generation

Job description

Karman Space & Defense is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer III to help ensure products are designed and manufactured for optimal producibility, quality, and efficiency across the full lifecycle. You will influence early design decisions, develop production processes, and support continuous improvement with engineering, production, and product teams.

The role follows a 9/80 schedule with varied shifts and an opportunity to contribute to defense systems across hypersonics and propulsion projects.