Senior Composites Project Engineer for Aerospace Production

Karman Space & Defense; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid time off

Health Savings Account with companycon

Flexible Spending Accounts

Company‑paid life and AD&D insurance

Disability coverage

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Karman Space & Defense is seeking a Composites Project Engineer III to lead composite manufacturing execution across aerospace programs from development through production. You will drive layup strategies, autoclave/press processes, tooling, and production integration while coordinating across engineering, manufacturing, and suppliers to meet cost, schedule, and technical goals.

The role requires strong CAD experience (CATIA/NX), DoD security clearance eligibility, and a proactive approach to

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, materials engineering, or related field.
• 4–8 years of aerospace composite manufacturing or production engineering experience.
• Experience with composite layup, autoclave cure, press molding, bonding, and machining.
• Experience interfacing with customers and cross‑functional teams.
• Ability to interpret composite drawings, ply schedules, GD&T requirements.
• Security clearance (DoD Secret) or ability to obtain one.

Responsibilities

• Lead composite‑intensive aerospace programs from development to production.
• Translate requirements into layup strategies, cure cycles, tooling needs, and production flow.
• Develop schedules, manage critical paths, and coordinate readiness milestones.
• Create and release work instructions, ply schedules, travelers, and process specs.
• Drive tooling strategy and ensure dimensional accuracy and scalability.
• Resolve real‑time manufacturing issues across layup, cure, bonding, trim, and assembly.
• Interface with customers during design reviews and status updates.
• Coordinate across engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and suppliers.
• Lead root cause analysis for defects and implement corrective actions.

Skills

Composite manufacturing

Layup processes

Autoclave cure

GD&T

CAD tools (CATIA, NX)

Customer interaction

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical/aerospace/materials engineering

Tools

CATIA

NX

Job description

Karman Space & Defense is seeking a Composites Project Engineer III to lead composite manufacturing execution across aerospace programs from development through production. You will drive layup strategies, autoclave/press processes, tooling, and production integration while coordinating across engineering, manufacturing, and suppliers to meet cost, schedule, and technical goals.

The role requires strong CAD experience (CATIA/NX), DoD security clearance eligibility, and a proactive approach to