Senior Systems Engineer - Space & Defense (On-Site)

Karman Space & 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 with company K

Flexible Spending Accounts

Company-paid life and AD&D insurance

Short- and long-term disability

Job summary

Karman Space & Defense is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer in Mukilteo, WA to provide program-level technical oversight for aerospace structures, mechanisms, and flight‑worthy hardware.

The role requires a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering, 6+ years in aerospace/defense, 2+ years in systems engineering, and the ability to obtain a DoD Secret clearance. On-site, full-time with a 9/80 schedule.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or equivalent.
• Typically 6+ years of aerospace or defense engineering experience, including 2+ years performing systems engineering work.
• Experience with development of mechanical systems, structures, electronics, electrical cabling, system integration, and qualification testing.
• Mastery of general aerospace engineering principles including structural analysis, finite element analysis, physics-based modeling, dynamics and kinematics, advanced materials, design, and test.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, plan, and execute multidisciplinary technical projects.
• Strong mechanical aptitude, problem‑solving skills, and ability to balance big‑picture goals with detailed execution.
• Excellent communication and customer relationship skills.
• A current U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Secret security clearance or the ability to obtain and maintain one.

Responsibilities

• Lead program-level technical oversight to ensure products meet all applicable requirements.
• Maintain balanced focus across design, analysis, and test activities to ensure robust engineering outcomes.
• Drive system architecture decisions through modeling, requirement decomposition, and system-level analyses.
• Verify completeness, compliance, 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

Communication

Problem-solving

Multidisciplinary coordination

Education

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering

Master’s degree (preferred)

Tools

Finite element analysis

Job description

Karman Space & Defense is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer in Mukilteo, WA to provide program-level technical oversight for aerospace structures, mechanisms, and flight‑worthy hardware.

The role requires a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering, 6+ years in aerospace/defense, 2+ years in systems engineering, and the ability to obtain a DoD Secret clearance. On-site, full-time with a 9/80 schedule.