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Systems Engineer III

Seattle, Washington

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.

In this role, you provide program‑level technical oversight that drives product maturation and ensures system performance throughout development. You coordinate system‑wide engineering activities, lead system architecture and requirement decomposition efforts, and verify compliance through structured documentation and test planning. Your work helps deliver robust, balanced designs by integrating analysis, design, and testing to achieve full system readiness.

Responsibilities

  • Contributes technical oversight at the program level to ensure end products meet all applicable requirements.
  • Ensures balanced emphasis on system design, analysis, and testing to produce robust solutions.
  • Drives system‑level architectural decisions by modeling system behavior and supporting requirement decomposition.
  • Verifies and documents system compliance to requirements.
  • Leads development of test plans that validate system performance.
  • Supports creation of engineering reports and presentations.
  • Supports development of interface control drawings and interface description documents.

Required Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s or master’s degree in mechanical engineering or aerospace engineering, or equivalent.
  • Typically 4–7 years of aerospace and/or defense experience.
  • Experience developing mechanical systems and structures, electronics, electrical cabling, system integration, and qualification testing.
  • Proficiency in aerospace engineering fundamentals, including structural analysis, finite element analysis (FEA), physics‑based modeling, dynamics and kinematics, advanced high‑strength materials, design, and testing.
  • Demonstrated technical leadership with the ability to plan and execute multidisciplinary projects.
  • A current U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Secret security clearance or the ability to obtain and maintain one.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience providing systems engineering support during the proposal phase, including compliance matrix reviews, performance specification evaluations, and rough‑order‑of‑magnitude (ROM) labor estimating.
  • Experience with DOORS Next Generation (DNG) and Jazz Team Server (JTS) Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM).
  • Experience performing Concept of Operations (ConOps) to define mission environments and system use cases.
  • Experience decomposing system‑level requirements into subsystem and component‑level requirements for military, space, or aerospace applications.
  • Experience with Model‑Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) using block definition diagrams (BDD) and internal block diagrams (IBD) to define system interfaces.
  • Experience conducting system architecture trade studies across performance, cost, weight, and compliance factors.
  • Experience leading program risk management activities.
  • Experience using Verification Compliance Review Matrix (VCRM) processes.
  • Experience collaborating across multidisciplinary teams such as software and hardware engineering.
  • Experience with system safety analyses including failure modes, effects, and criticality analysis (FMECA) and fault‑tree analysis.
  • Knowledge of regulatory and certification processes, including NASA, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), or U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) standards for aerospace, space, or defense systems.

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

Salary Range

$110,000 - $140,000 USD

Karman Space and Defense is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

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