Contract Engineer Jobs in Alabama (NOW HIRING)

Join Our Journey
At Amentum Space Exploration Division (ASED your growth is our priority! That's why we offer an array of exciting opportunities for your career development. From the transformative Team Lead Academy to education reimbursement, personalized mentoring, and engaging company-sponsored networking events, you have the power to shape your professional journey in a way that aligns with your aspirations.
Find Your Community
At the heart of our thriving business are the incredible people who make it all possible. We celebrate a vibrant array of cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. Here, we foster an environment where everyone-employees, clients, and partners alike-are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.
Prioritize Your Well-Being
Our extensive benefits package is designed with your welfare in mind. Enjoy wellness programs, paid holidays, generous time off, employee perks, and so much more. We're here to help you achieve a harmonious balance in your life-both at work and at home.
Together, We Soar
Our dynamic team consists of 10 companies united in a single mission: to venture from Moon to Mars and beyond. Join us on this extraordinary adventure!
Description:
This position is part of the Amentum Space Exploration Division (ASED) support to the NASA EM32 Welding & Manufacturing (W&M) team under the Engineering Services and Science Capability Augmentation (ESSCA) contract to the NASA MSFC Engineering Directorate. The primary focus of this position is manufacturing large aluminum aerospace structures using fusion welding and friction stir welding processes. However, this isn't a welding engineering position. Education and experience relevant to this position will be evaluated from that perspective. The position's primary responsibilities are to:

• Develop and validate manufacturing processes for large-scale aluminum assemblies, ensuring compliance with NASA, aerospace, and internal quality standards.
• Provide authoritative review and approval of design-for-manufacturing (DFM), process specifications, weld tooling concepts, and manufacturing plans.
• Collaborate with design engineering, materials engineering, NDE, quality, and production teams to optimize structural weld performance and manufacturing throughput.
• Establish and maintain advanced manufacturing specifications, process controls, and acceptance criteria for large, welded aluminum aerospace structures.
• Support production readiness reviews, process hazard analyses, and manufacturing risk assessments for major parts. Lead root-cause investigations for complex, high-impact manufacturing challenges and drive permanent corrective actions.
• Mentor junior and mid-career manufacturing engineers in manufacturing engineering fundamentals. Evaluate emerging technologies (automation, advanced NDE, robotic welding, adaptive machining) and lead integration efforts into production environments.

The selected candidate will work integrally with ASED and customer engineers and engineering technicians. The selected candidate will provide professional consultation, technical and specialty skills needed to resolve unprecedented and/or complex problems pertaining to the manufacture of large, welded aluminum structures. The selected candidate will initiate and maintain extensive contacts with key engineers/scientists and officials of other organizations and companies, requiring skill in deliberating, advising, advocating, and negotiating resolution of critical issues.
Qualifications:
BS degree in Manufacturing Engineering or related field from an ABET-accredited university is required. Typically, educational requirements are the equivalent of a minimum of a master's degree with at least 28 years of experience, or B.S. with at least 30 years of experience. Relevant candidate work experience will be evaluated against ESSCA contract engineering labor categories.
The candidate is required to have:

• Previous experience planning and supervising the manufacture of large, welded aluminum aerospace structures.
• Previous experience developing inputs into paperless (electronic) manufacturing execution systems.
• Previous experience identifying and documenting manufacturing nonconformances.
• Previous experience resolving manufacturing nonconformances and presenting the solutions to oversight boards for concurrence/approval.
• The selected candidate must be able to obtain and maintain permission to operate customer-owned vehicles in support of work activities. The selected candidate must possess and maintain a valid driver's license, automobile liability insurance and successfully complete a company defensive driving training class.
• Must be a US Citizen and have a STAR ID

Desired qualifications and experience (presence of one or more of these qualifications will be used as a selection factor):
Previous experience working with the following specifications and standards or industry equivalents is desired, but not required:

• NASA-STD-6016, "Standard Materials and Processes Requirements for Spacecraft."
• NASA-STD-5006, "General Fusion Welding Requirements for Aerospace Materials Used in Flight Hardware."
• MSFC-SPEC-3679, "Process Specification - Welding Aerospace Hardware."

Work Environment
Work will be performed on-site at MSFC. As such, moving to the Huntsville, Alabama area would be required.
General office environment (40%), industrial welding / manufacturing development laboratory / machine shop (60%). Requires ability to interact effectively with co-workers, managers, and clients. Requires ability to provide clear, concise, and accurate communications, both verbally and in writing (50%). Travel may be necessary, but infrequent (<5%).
Physical Requirements:
Requires sitting for extended periods of time in meetings with peers, management, and with our client at NASA facilities to discuss technical issues (10%). Also, requires sitting for extended periods of time at a desk to write reports and perform engineering tasks (30%). Requires standing, sitting and walking in a lab environment with hazards that require wearing safety glasses, hard hat, hearing protection, foot protection, gloves and/or protective clothing to perform some operations (60%). Work will be performed on-site at NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center (100%). Use of stairs or elevators can gain access to buildings will be required. Some work requires using stairs and/or ladders to access elevated work platforms. Positions can require lifting and/or maneuvering materials and/or equipment weighing up to 40 lbs.
Equipment and Machines:
Requires ability to operate a personal computer, a telephone, fax machine, copier, calculator, and other general office equipment (100%). Requires ability to operate welding equipment (100%).
Attendance:
Normal workday is from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday thru Friday. Minimal overtime may be required (10%) to meet schedule milestones and to support technical demands of the job. Regular attendance is a necessity and adequate arrangements for delegating duties during absences are required.
Other Essential Functions:
Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, and to make rational decisions, and to exercise good judgment (100%). Grooming and dress must be appropriate for the position and must not impose a safety risk/hazard to the employee or others.
#ASED #ESSCA
Compensation Details:
SME3
The compensation range or hourly rate listed for this position is provided as a good-faith estimate of what the company intends to offer for this role at the time this posting was issued. Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as job responsibilities, education, experience, skills, internal equity, market data, applicable collective bargaining agreements, and relevant laws.
Benefits Overview:
Our health and welfare benefits are designed to support you and your priorities. Offerings include:

• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Paid time off and holidays
• Retirement benefits (including 401(k) matching)
• Educational reimbursement
• Parental leave
• Employee stock purchase plan
• Tax-saving options
• Disability and life insurance
• Pet insurance

Note: Benefits may vary based on employment type, location, and applicable agreements. Positions governed by a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA), or other employment contracts may include different provisions/benefits.
Original Posting:
07/30/2026 - Until Filled
Amentum anticipates this job requisition will remain open for at least three days, with a closing date no earlier than three days after the original posting. This timeline may change based on business needs.
Amentum is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our hiring practices provide equal opportunity for employment without regard to race, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding), age, ancestry, United States military or veteran status, color, religion, creed, marital or domestic partner status, medical condition, genetic information, national origin, citizenship status, low-income status, or mental or physical disability so long as the essential functions of the job can be performed with or without reasonable accommodation, or any other protected category under federal, state, or local law. Learn more about your rights under Federal laws and supplemental language at Labor Laws Posters.