Materials & Process (M&P) Engineer
$130,000–$165,000 year
On-siteEl Segundo, California, United States
Job Summary
Guide mechanical designers on material selection, surface treatments, joint design, and space-environment risks including atomic oxygen and thermal cycling. Author, review, and approve engineering drawings, material specifications, and process procedures for compliance with aerospace standards. Plan and execute qualification programs for metallics, composites, coatings, and critical processes while coordinating with internal laboratories and external vendors to characterize materials and analyze test data. Support PDR, CDR, and MRR reviews by providing M&P risk assessments and lead destructive failure investigations to identify root causes and implement corrective actions. Ensure materials and processes are approved before flight-hardware assembly and manage technical dispositions for non-conformances. This role requires a core technical authority with broad aerospace materials experience to support the development of Space Kinetic's new 'one-to-many' space architecture.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related technical discipline
- 3 to 7 years of materials and processes engineering experience supporting spaceflight or similarly high-reliability aerospace hardware
- Experience with aerospace metallics, including aluminum, titanium, stainless steel, and high-strength alloys
- Experience with structural composites, carbon-fiber layups, core materials, and associated manufacturing processes
- Experience with thermal-control hardware and materials, including heat pipes, heaters, thermal-interface materials, coatings, primers, adhesives, potting compounds, sealants, and space-qualified lubricants
- Hands-on experience investigating manufacturing anomalies, resolving non-conformances, and supporting hardware through qualification or production
- Ability to operate with urgency, ownership, and autonomy in a demanding startup environment
- Passion for advancing the commercial and National Security space industry
- Must be a U.S. citizen, national, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee (or eligible to obtain required authorizations)
- Must be available for onsite work at headquarters in El Segundo CA
- Must be available for domestic travel up to ~20% of the year
Desired Qualifications
- Experience applying NASA materials and processes standards, including NASA-STD-6016
- Familiarity with cleanroom operations, contamination control, or planetary protection requirements
- Experience supporting spacecraft mechanisms or other spaceflight hardware
- Experience supporting government, national security, NASA, or commercial spaceflight programs
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