Test Engineering Manager

Socket.dev; Mukilteo (WA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision

401(k) matching

Paid time off

HSA with company contribution

FSA

Life and AD&D insurance

Disability coverage

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Karman Space & Defense is seeking a Test Engineer Manager to lead a large test engineering group in the development and delivery of mission-critical systems. The role focuses on aligning staffing with program needs, mentoring engineers, and ensuring the execution of engineering standards and training across multiple concurrent programs.

The candidate will consolidate labor demand, drive proactive hiring, and manage resource allocations to optimize workload while fostering career growth and

Qualifications

• Minimum 7+ years working directly in test engineering environments.
• 5+ years of engineering leadership experience, including aerospace involvement.
• Experience in resource planning, scheduling, and personnel management of technical staff.
• Security clearance: DoD Secret or ability to obtain and maintain one.

Responsibilities

• Consolidate labor demand across programs into a single functional-group view and align with schedules.
• Serve as traffic controller for functional resource requests and resolve conflicts early.
• Drive proactive hiring by identifying staffing gaps from demand data.
• Allocate resources across programs to balance workload and support career growth.
• Track assignments against work orders and identify over- or under-utilization.
• Coordinate logistics for engineering standards and training delivery.
• Maintain qualification ladders and monitor time-to-independent-qualification for new hires and transfers.
• Support programs in scoping engineering tasks into clear, staffable work packages.
• Collaborate with program leads to set realistic schedule and effort expectations.
• Identify required skill sets for engineering requests and route complex items to experts.

Skills

Test engineering

Leadership

Resource planning

Aerospace experience

People management

Education

B.S. in Engineering

Job description

Test Engineer Manager

Karman Space & Defense is a leader in the rapid design, development, and production of critical, next-generation system solutions that align with the U.S. Department of War and its allies' core mission priorities, and meet the accelerating demand for access to space. Building on nearly 50 years of success, we deliver Payload & Protection Systems, Aero/Hydrodynamic Interstage Systems, and Propulsion & Launch Systems to more than 80 prime contractors supporting over 130 space and defense programs.

We design and deliver dependable hypersonic/strategic missile defense systems; integrating multiple technologies into unified, mission-ready hardware supporting demanding environments.

The Engineering Manager- Test leads the operational and people-management backbone of a test engineering group. This role centralizes labor demand, manages day-to-day functional resource allocation, supports structured career development, connects programs with the right technical expertise, and ensures engineering standards and training are delivered effectively across a large number of concurrent programs.

Responsibilities

• Consolidate labor demand across programs into a single functional-group view, integrating schedule and staffing needs.
• Serve as traffic control for functional resource requests by staging, sequencing, and identifying conflicts early.
• Drive proactive hiring by identifying staffing gaps from consolidated demand data.
• Allocate functional resources across programs to balance workload and support individual career growth goals.
• Track assignments against work orders and identify over-or under-utilization.
• Coordinate logistics for engineering standards and training delivery, including scheduling and completion tracking.
• Maintain qualification ladders and monitor time-to-independent-qualification for new hires and transfers.
• Support programs in scoping engineering tasks into clear, staffable work packages.
• Collaborate with program leads to establish realistic schedule and effort expectations.
• Identify required skill sets for engineering requests and route ambiguous or contested items to appropriate technical experts.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 7+ years working directly in test engineering environments.
• B.S. in Engineering.
• 5+ years of engineering leadership experience, including a minimum of 2 years in aerospace and/or engineering.
• Demonstrated experience in resource planning, scheduling, and direct people management of technical staff.
• Ability to manage data-driven scheduling and operational cadence across numerous concurrent programs.
• Experience supporting career growth and balancing program needs with individual development.
• Capability to partner with technical experts and route design sign-offs, waivers, and contested technical calls appropriately.
• Experience helping programs translate ambiguous engineering requests into scoped, staffable work packages.
• A current U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Secret security clearance or the ability to obtain and maintain one.

Preferred Qualifications

• Discipline-specific technical depth in the relevant engineering domain.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off
• Health Savings Account (HSA) with company contribution
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Company-paid life and AD&D insurance
• Short- and long-term disability coverage
• Tuition reimbursement

Karman Space and Defense is an Equal Opportunity Employer…