Staff Manufacturing Engineer, Turbomachinery

Karman Industries

Karman Industries is a Torrance-based thermal technology company building the backbone for giga-scale AI infrastructure. Founded by a team from SpaceX, Rocket Lab, and GE, Karman is moving beyond legacy cooling with the launch of the HPU (Heat Processing Unit)—a new category of thermal architecture designed for the 100kW+ rack era.

The HPU shrinks the exterior mechanical yard by up to 80% while reducing peak energy consumption by 10%+. Unlike traditional systems, the Karman HPU provides zero-water (WUE 0) cooling that ensures high-TDP GPUs and HBM4 memory stay at optimal thermal setpoints without throttling.

Founded in 2024, we’re a fast-growing team of passionate professionals dedicated to making a tangible impact on the future of humanity. We design, build, and test real hardware, and we lead with ownership: you’ll own your work from concept to hardware and help shape how we scale. Our values are Ownership, Performance Excellence, Radical Transparency, and Customer-Centricity.

Join us in our mission to transform the industry and contribute to a more sustainable world.

Staff Manufacturing Engineer Turbomachinery

We are seeking a Turbomachinery Manufacturing Engineer to own the build process for the rotating equipment at the core of our supercritical CO₂ systems — from rotor assembly through balancing, clearance checks, and final proof. We are a team that values first-principles thinking, hands-on problem solving, and close cross-functional collaboration to deliver cohesive, high-performance systems.

Responsibilities:

• Own manufacturing and assembly processes for rotating hardware: rotor balancing, interference fits, clearance checks, structural proofing, and leak checks

• Develop and refine fabrication, assembly, and test procedures for turbopump/compressor subassemblies

• Partner directly with design engineering to resolve manufacturability issues on high-speed rotating components

• Design and specify assembly tooling — from concept through detailed drawings and analysis

• Serve as a main point of contact between design and manufacturing as we optimize turbomachinery architecture and scale operations

• Drive root cause investigations on assembly or test failures and implement fixes that hold up at rate

Required Qualifications:

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering or related technical field, 5+ years relevant experience

• Direct experience with turbomachinery or rotating equipment assembly procedures, including rotor balancing, interference fits, clearance checks, structural proofing, and leak checks

• Experience with tolerance stack-up analysis, structural proof testing, and pressurized leak checks

• Experience with tooling design, including conceptualization, modeling and drafting, and detailed analysis

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with cryogenic or supercritical fluid systems

• Proficiency in Siemens NX or other CAD

• Knowledge of GD&T (ASME Y14.5) and industry specifications

• Experience in a startup or agile development environment

• Background in a flight-hardware or high-reliability development program

Role level to be determined during interview process

Karman Industries is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Karman Industries is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Direct applicants only — we are not working with outside recruiters or agencies for this role.