Materials and Process Engineer
Core
Set technical direction for materials and processes across the company for flight hardware, including ablative/thermal protection systems, coatings, polymers, composites, and wet chemical processing.
Role type
Principal Materials and Process Engineer
Builds
Varda W-Series vehicles, pharmaceutical processing payloads, reentry capsules, and satellite buses
Domain
Aerospace / Space Infrastructure / Materials Science
Required skills
Process qualification and validation, failure analysis (fractography, metallography, SEM/EDS), statistical methods (DOE, SPC), corrosion control, wet chemical processing, thermal protection systems, aerospace metals processing, contamination control, technical writing, cross-functional leadership
Preferred skills
M.S. or Ph.D. in Materials Science, AMPP/NACE certification, ablative/thermal barrier material characterization, polymer/composite processing at scale, spacecraft thermal control systems
Technologies
Arc jet testing, MIL-A-8625, MIL-DTL-5541, A-basis/B-basis statistical tolerancing
Responsibilities
Develop and qualify special processes for flight hardware; Design experiments to de-risk processes and characterize materials; Lead RCCAs, MRB, and failure investigations; Define tooling, fixture, and cleanliness requirements; Author specifications and control plans; Mentor engineers and build in-house lab capability
Seniority
Principal, strategy & mentorship