Product Engineer

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc.; Auburn Hills (MI); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance

Life/AD&D & Disability Insurance

401(k) Savings Plan

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Paid Time-Off & Holidays

Education Reimbursement

Job summary

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. is seeking a Product Engineer to lead assigned products and engineering workstreams through full lifecycle, from requirements to delivery.

The role acts as the technical point of contact (TPOC) for customers and programs, coordinating across Design Engineering, Manufacturing, Test, Quality, Supply Chain, and Program Management. The position reports to the Lead Product Engineer and emphasizes engineering execution, risk mitigation, and production

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering.
• 5+ years of product, design, or manufacturing engineering experience.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and specifications.
• Experience leading engineering projects or workstreams.
• Customer-facing technical interface experience is preferred.
• Experience in aerospace/defense or regulated manufacturing environments is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead assigned products and engineering projects from concept through production and sustainment.
• Own day-to-day engineering execution, priorities, and deliverables for assigned products.
• Plan, coordinate, and execute engineering activities to meet program schedules and milestones.
• Identify technical risks and lead mitigation actions in coordination with the Lead Product Engineer.
• Serve as the primary technical point of contact for assigned customers and programs.
• Lead customer technical discussions, reviews, and issue resolution.
• Ensure customer requirements are clearly understood, documented, and flowed into engineering deliverables.
• Support customer design reviews, test reviews, and technical data exchanges.
• Own requirements flow down from customer and system requirements to design outputs.
• Coordinate design activities with Design Engineering and System Engineering.

Skills

Product lifecycle

Project leadership

Customer interface

Reading drawings

Problem solving

ITAR

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Job description

GENERAL JOB SUMMARY: The Product Engineer is responsible for

The Product Engineer is responsible for leading assigned products and engineering workstreams across their full lifecycle, from requirements definition through design release, production support, and customer delivery. This role serves as the technical point of contact (TPOC) for assigned customers and programs, ensuring technical requirements, design intent, and execution details are clearly understood, controlled, and delivered.

Reporting to the Lead Product Engineer, the Product Engineer leads engineering execution at the product and project level, coordinating cross-functional activities across Design Engineering, Manufacturing, Test, Quality, Supply Chain, and Program Management to ensure products are technically mature, configuration-controlled, and ready to build, test, and deliver.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Product & Project Leadership

• Lead assigned products and engineering projects from concept through production and sustainment
• Own day-to-day engineering execution, priorities, and deliverables for assigned products
• Plan, coordinate, and execute engineering activities to meet program schedules and milestones
• Identify technical risks and lead mitigation actions in coordination with the Lead Product Engineer

Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) – Customer Interface

• Serve as the primary technical point of contact for assigned customers and programs
• Lead customer technical discussions, reviews, and issue resolution
• Ensure customer requirements are clearly understood, documented, and flowed into engineering deliverables
• Support customer design reviews, test reviews, and technical data exchanges

Requirements, Design & Configuration Control

• Own requirements flow down from customer and system requirements to design outputs
• Coordinate design activities with Design Engineering and System Engineering
• Ensure designs are configuration-controlled and released in accordance with AS9100D
• Lead and support engineering change requests (ECRs) and engineering change notices (ECNs)

Design-to-Production & Test Support

• Ensure engineering deliverables support manufacturability, assembly, and test readiness
• Support build readiness reviews, first article inspections (FAI), and test activities
• Provide real-time engineering support to Manufacturing and Test during builds and investigations
• Ensure design intent is preserved through production execution

Risk Management & Problem Resolution

• Lead or support root cause analysis for technical and product-related issues
• Quantify technical impacts of design changes, deviations, or process variation
• Implement and verify corrective actions related to product performance and quality
• Escalate technical risks appropriately to the Lead Product Engineer and Program Management

Documentation, Data & Digital Thread

• Maintain accurate and complete engineering documentation (drawings, BOMs, specifications)
• Ensure traceability between requirements, designs, tests, and delivered products
• Support integration of engineering data into PLM, ERP, and QMS systems
• Ensure engineering data is audit-ready and customer-ready

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Program Management to support schedule, cost, and risk objectives
• Collaborate with Supply Chain to support sourcing, material readiness, and supplier technical issues
• Work closely with Quality and Test Engineering to ensure product compliance and validation
• Support continuous improvement initiatives related to product execution

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

• No direct people management responsibility
• May provide technical guidance and task leadership to junior engineers or technicians
• Leads by influence, ownership, and technical credibility

Experience And Skills

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

Required

• Strong understanding of product engineering and lifecycle management
• Experience leading engineering projects or workstreams
• Ability to serve as a customer-facing technical point of contact
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and specifications
• Strong problem-solving, communication, and organizational skills
• Ability to manage confidential and export-controlled information (ITAR)

Preferred

• Experience in aerospace, defense, propulsion, or regulated manufacturing environments
• Familiarity with AS9100D, configuration management, and design control
• Experience supporting production, test, and sustainment activities

Required

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related discipline
• 5+ years of experience in product, design, or manufacturing engineering roles
• Demonstrated experience supporting cross-functional engineering execution

Preferred

• Experience serving as a customer technical interface
• Experience in high-mix, low-volume environments

WORK ENVIRONMENT / PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Office, manufacturing, and test environments
• Frequent interaction with shop floor and test areas
• May require extended hours during build, test, or customer milestones
• May be required to lift materials, components, or equipment up to 40 lbs

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

0–15% as required to support customer engagements, test activities, or other Kratos locations

THE ABOVE STATEMENTS ARE INTENDED TO DESCRIBE THE GENERAL NATURE AND LEVEL OF WORK BEING PERFORMED BY INDIVIDUALS ASSIGNED TO THIS CLASSIFICATION. THEY ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE CONSTRUED AS AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST OF ALL RESPONSIBILITIES, DUTIES AND SKILLS REQUIRED OF PERSONNEL SO CLASSIFIED.
A REVIEW OF THIS CLASSIFICATION HAS EXCLUDED THE MARGINAL FUNCTIONS OF THE CLASSIFICATION THAT ARE INCIDENTAL TO THE PERFORMANCE OF FUNDAMENTAL JOB JUTIES. ALL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ARE ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS AND REQUIREMENTS AND ARE SUBJECT TO POSSIBLE MODIFICATION TO REASONABLY ACCOMMODATE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES TO PERFORM THIS JOB PROFICIENTLY. THE REQUIREMENTS LISTED IN THIS DOCUMENT ARE THE MINIMUM LEVELS OF KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS OR ABILITIES

EEO/M/F/D/V

Job Benefits

• Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance Coverage
• Life/ADD & Short/Long Term Disability Insurance
• 401(k) Savings Plan
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)
• Paid Time-Off (PTO)
• Holidays
• Education Reimbursement

Kratos Defense is an Equal Opportunity Affimative Action Employer. EOE, Minorities, Females, Vet, Disabled, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity or any other protected class. All qualified job seekers are encouraged to apply. Kratos Defense is committed to America's veterans by providing opportunities for them to continue contributing after service to our nation. We also work to provide reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities.

EEO Is The Law

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