Systems Engineer III

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 technical oversight and systems engineering leadership across multidisciplinary teams developing aerospace structures, mechanisms, and mechanical systems. You drive product maturation through coordinated technical planning, requirements management, system modeling, and verification activities that ensure final designs meet all program and performance requirements.

Responsibilities

• Provides technical oversight at the program level to ensure the end product meets all applicable requirements.
• Balances engineering design, analysis, and testing to develop robust system solutions.
• Drives system‑level architectural decisions through modeling and requirement decomposition.
• Verifies and documents compliance to system requirements.
• Leads development of test plans to validate system performance.
• Supports creation of engineering reports and presentations.
• Contributes to developing interface control drawings and interface description documents.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or an equivalent field.
• 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 with general aerospace engineering principles 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 develop, plan, and execute multidisciplinary projects.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience providing systems engineering support during proposal phases, including compliance matrix reviews and rough‑order‑of‑magnitude (ROM) labor estimates.
• Experience using DOORS Next Generation (DNG) and Jazz Team Server (JTS) Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) for requirements management and configuration control.
• Ability to perform Concept of Operations (ConOps) development and decompose customer requirements.
• Experience decomposing system‑level requirements into subsystem and component‑level requirements for aerospace or defense applications.
• Experience with Model‑Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), including block definition diagrams (BDD) and internal block diagrams (IBD).
• Experience conducting architecture trade studies considering performance, cost, and weight.
• Experience leading program risk management activities.
• Familiarity with Verification Compliance Review Matrix (VCRM) processes.
• Experience collaborating across hardware and software teams to align system requirements.
• Experience with system safety processes including failure modes, effects, and criticality analysis (FMECA) and fault‑tree analysis.
• Knowledge of NASA, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), or U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) standards for aerospace, space, or defense systems.

Physical Requirements

No physical requirements are explicitly supported beyond standard office/engineering work; therefore, this section is omitted.

This position requires U.S. person status under U.S. export control laws, including U.S. citizens and nationals, lawful permanent residents, refugees, and asylees.

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. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.