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Weapons Engineer Intern Jobs in Washington, DC (NOW HIRING)

... weapon system tolerances. * You will develop Hazard Analyses and Safety assessments and be ... OR Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT), or licensure as a ...

GENERAL ENGINEER

Quantico, VA ยท On-site

$143K/yr

... Weapon Systems (i.e., Anti-Armor, infantry, Marine Expeditionary Rifle Squad, Recon, Optics ... Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT)1 , or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any ...

GENERAL ENGINEER

Quantico, VA ยท On-site

$102K/yr

... Weapon Systems (i.e., Anti-Armor, Infantry, Marine Expeditionary Rifle Squad, Recon, Optics ... Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT), or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State ...

... weapon systems (i.e., rocket motor propulsion, high explosives such as C4, hand grenades, and ... OR Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT), or licensure as a ...

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Weapons Engineer Intern information

See Washington, DC salary details

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How much do weapons engineer intern jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 17, 2026, the average hourly pay for weapons engineer intern in Washington, DC is $21.88, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $18.22 and $23.70 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a weapons engineer intern?

Weapons Engineer Interns are students or recent graduates who work temporarily in defense or weapons development organizations to gain practical experience in the design, analysis, testing, and maintenance of weapon systems. They support senior engineers on projects involving military technology, such as firearms, missiles, explosives, or related defense equipment. Typically, they assist with research, prototyping, data analysis, and documentation, while learning industry standards and safety protocols. Internships provide valuable hands-on exposure to cutting-edge technologies and can lead to full-time positions in the defense sector.

What kinds of projects or tasks can a weapons engineer intern typically expect to work on during their internship?

As a Weapons Engineer Intern, you can expect to be involved in a variety of projects supporting the design, testing, and analysis of weapons systems. Interns often assist with CAD modeling, simulations, and laboratory or field testing under the supervision of senior engineers. You may also participate in technical documentation, data analysis from tests, and collaborative meetings with multidisciplinary teams. The role provides hands-on experience with industry-standard tools and offers insight into the full lifecycle of defense technology development.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a weapons engineer intern, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Weapons Engineer Intern, you generally need a solid background in mechanical or electrical engineering, mathematics, and physics, often supported by progress toward a relevant engineering degree. Familiarity with CAD software, simulation tools, and industry standards, as well as security clearance eligibility, is typically required. Strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, and effective teamwork skills help interns excel in collaborative and high-stakes environments. These competencies ensure safe, innovative, and reliable development and testing of defense systems.

What is the difference between Weapons Engineer Intern vs Mechanical Engineering Intern?

AspectWeapons Engineer InternMechanical Engineering Intern
Required CredentialsRelevant coursework, security clearance, technical skills in weapon systemsEngineering fundamentals, CAD skills, internship or coursework in mechanical systems
Work EnvironmentDefense contractors, military facilities, research labsManufacturing plants, design firms, research labs
Employer & Industry UsageDefense industry, military applicationsAutomotive, aerospace, manufacturing
Common Search & Comparison IntentUnderstanding roles in defense projects, security clearance requirementsExploring general engineering internships, career paths

Weapons Engineer Interns focus on developing and testing weapon systems within defense environments, often requiring security clearances. Mechanical Engineering Interns work on designing and analyzing mechanical components across various industries. While both roles involve engineering fundamentals, their work settings and industry applications differ significantly.

What are the most commonly searched types of Weapons Engineer jobs in Washington, DC?

The most popular types of Weapons Engineer jobs in Washington, DC are:

Infographic showing various Weapons Engineer Intern job openings in Washington, DC as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 23% Internship, and 77% Full Time. Highlights an 93% In-person, and 7% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $45,501 per year, or $21.9 per hour.

Full-time

Re-posted 17 days ago


Job description

Duties
  • You will provide Engineering expertise in the areas of Design, Test, and Production of land based military weapon systems.
  • You will assess propellant material properties and rocket motor burn rate curves to support analyses and testing of prototype components.
  • You will plan and execute test activities to verify prototype designs, and/or validate and assess system performance.
  • You will manage and support production efforts to include hardware procurement, writing assembly procedures, and providing dispositions on non-conforming weapon system tolerances.
  • You will develop Hazard Analyses and Safety assessments and be responsible for Systems Engineering tasks as assigned.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
  • Must be a US Citizen.
  • Must be determined suitable for federal employment.
  • Must participate in the direct deposit pay program.
  • New employees to the Department of the Navy will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov
  • Within the Department of Defense (DoD), the appointment of retired military members within 180 days immediately following retirement date to a civilian position is subject to the provisions of 5 United States Code 3326.
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.
  • This position is covered under the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA). Certification in the Functional Area and Tier assigned to the position, along with Continuous Learning (CL) points, are required within established timeframes.
  • This position may require travel from normal duty station to CONUS and OCONUS and may include remote or isolated sites. You must be able to travel on military and commercial aircraft for extended periods of time.
Qualifications
To Qualify for the ND-03:
Your resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the ND-02 pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience must demonstrate the following: as a professional engineer performing in-service engineering support duties (i.e. evaluating material properties or physical components) in the areas of design, test, or production of military equipment (i.e. mechanical hardware assemblies and energetic devices).
To Qualify for the ND-04:
Your resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the ND-03 pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience must demonstrate the following: as a professional engineer conducting design, test, or production oversight efforts for energetic weapon systems (i.e., rocket motor propulsion, high explosives such as C4, hand grenades, and detonating cord fuses, and the manufacture of hardware).
Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management website:
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=List-by-Occupational-Series AND https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/files/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800.pdf
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.
Education
Applicants must meet the following basic education requirements of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Standards Manual:
Successful completion of a professional engineering degree. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree (or higher) in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET); or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position.
OR
Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT), or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration For more information about EI and EIT registration requirements, please visit the National Society of Professional Engineers website at: http://www.nspe.org
OR
Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico The FE examination is not administered by the U. S. Office of Personnel Management. For more information, please visit: http://www.nspe.org/Licensure/HowtoGetLicensed/index.html.
OR
Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and in engineering that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A (above). The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A (above)
OR
Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least one year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily, there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions.
In lieu of Specialized Experience, you may qualify with the following:
For the ND-03:
  • Master's degree or equivalent graduate degree
  • 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree
  • A combination of graduate education and experience as described above that equates to one year of experience. The percentage of the required education plus percentage of the required experience equal one hundred percent.
For the ND-04:
  • PhD or equivalent doctoral degree
  • 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree
  • A combination of graduate education and experience as described above that equates to one year of experience. The percentage of the required education plus percentage of the required experience equal one hundred percent.
Additional information
This position is covered by the Department of Defense Priority Placement Program.
Additional vacancies may be filled by this announcement.
A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments.
During the application process you will have the ability to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions in the local commuting area. Depending on the hiring organization and the position being filled, job requirements (e.g., security clearance, travel, drug testing, financial disclosure filing, bargaining unit status, etc.) may vary. Other hiring managers filling similar positions may offer relocation expense reimbursement and/or may offer recruitment incentives for new employees, depending on funding availability and in accordance with policy. If you opt-in and are referred on a certificate, your resume will be available to other hiring managers for 180-days from the date the job announcement closes. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.
Federal annuitant information: The selection of an annuitant is subject to the Department of Defense and Department of the Navy policy on the employment of annuitants. Policy information may be found at: http://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/Documents/CivilianJobs/FedCivAnnuitants.pdf
PPP applicants will be placed at the FPL, if determined Well Qualified (WQ). To receive priority consideration, the FPL must be the same grade level or equivalent of the retained grade or the grade held immediately prior to separation.
ICTAP Applicants: To be considered well-qualified and exercise selection priority as an ICTAP candidate, displaced Federal employees must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a rating in the highly qualified category (score 85) or higher. ICTAP candidates must provide copies of all of the following documentation at the time of application:?1) agency notice; 2) most recent performance appraisal; and 3) most recent SF-50 or notification of personnel action that includes position, grade level, and duty location. Applicants who do not provide this documentation will not receive consideration as an ICTAP candidate. For more information about ICTAP eligibility please review the following link: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/career-transition/
Military Spouse Preference applicants will be placed at the highest grade for which they have applied and are determined Best Qualified (BQ). A BQ military spouse possesses knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies comparable to others who meet the competitive referral criteria for the specific position