Senior Systems Engineer – DoD‑Cleared (Space & Defense)

Karman Space and Defense; Mukilteo (WA); On-site; USD 135,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid time off

Health Savings Account (HSA)

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

Company-paid life and AD&D insurance

Disability coverage

Job summary

Karman Space and Defense is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer for on-site work in Mukilteo, WA. You will provide program-level technical oversight for aerospace structures, mechanisms, and flight‑worthy hardware, guiding system maturation and verification to meet requirements.

The role requires a Bachelor’s in mechanical or aerospace engineering with 6+ years in aerospace/defense, plus 2+ years in systems engineering. DoD clearance or ability to obtain is expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering or equivalent
• Typically 6+ years in aerospace/defense, incl. 2+ years in systems engineering
• Experience with mechanical systems, structures, electronics, cabling, system integration, and qualification testing
• Mastery of aerospace engineering fundamentals including structural analysis, finite element analysis, physics-based modeling, dynamics and kinematics, advanced materials, design, and test
• Ability to lead and manage multidisciplinary technical projects
• Strong mechanical aptitude, problem-solving, and detail-oriented execution
• Excellent communication and customer relations skills
• DoD Secret clearance (or ability to obtain one)

Responsibilities

• Lead program-level technical oversight to ensure products meet requirements
• Balance design, analysis, and test activities for robust outcomes
• Drive system architecture decisions via modeling and requirements decomposition
• Verify completeness and documentation of system requirements
• Lead development of system test plans to validate performance
• Prepare engineering reports, technical documentation, and customer presentations
• Develop interface control drawings and interface description documents
• Contribute to engineering standards, training materials, and best‑practice guidelines
• Mentor and support engineers with lesser experience

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Communication skills

Problem solving

Systems engineering

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering

Master’s degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering

Tools

Finite element analysis (FEA)

System modeling

Requirement decomposition

Job description

Karman Space and Defense is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer for on-site work in Mukilteo, WA. You will provide program-level technical oversight for aerospace structures, mechanisms, and flight‑worthy hardware, guiding system maturation and verification to meet requirements.

The role requires a Bachelor’s in mechanical or aerospace engineering with 6+ years in aerospace/defense, plus 2+ years in systems engineering. DoD clearance or ability to obtain is expected.