Materials and Process Engineer II

About This Role

As a Materials and Process Engineer II at Varda, you will have the opportunity to apply your materials science fundamentals to the special processes that protect and build our reentry vehicles. This role supports the development, qualification, and control of processes for flight hardware, including ablative and thermal protection systems (TPS), coatings, polymers, composites, adhesives, wet chemical processing, and metallic structures. The Materials and Process Engineer II designs experiments and pathfinder hardware, characterizes materials through mechanical, thermal, chemical, and microstructural testing, and uses statistics to define robust process windows. You will also contribute to root cause and corrective action (RCCA), material review board (MRB), and failure investigations, working directly with design engineers, technicians, and quality to resolve material and process non-conformances. Materials and Process Engineers are a vital part of helping Varda build flight hardware consistently and at increasing cadence. The focus of the job is to turn well-understood materials and processes into repeatable, documented results for every vehicle Varda produces

Responsibilities

• Develop, qualify, and maintain special processes for flight hardware, including ablative and thermal protection systems (TPS), coatings, polymers, composites, adhesives, and processes applicable to metallic structures

• Develop and control wet chemical processes (cleaning, etching, passivation, conversion coating and similar).

• Implement corrosion prevention and control practices, and assess chemical compatibility between materials, process fluids, and service environments

• Design experiments, methodologies, and pathfinder hardware to de-risk processes, and characterize materials and processes through mechanical, thermal, chemical, and microstructural testing, and use statistical methods to define process windows

• Define tooling, fixture, test equipment, cleanliness, contamination control, and material handling requirements for assigned processes and flight hardware

• Develop and maintain Special Process Specifications, Process Qualification and Validation Records and Control Plans

• Lead and contribute to RCCAs, MRB and failure review boards for material and process non-conformances, including corrosion, surface contamination, defects found in NDE, test, or inspection, failure analysis (fractography, metallography, SEM/EDS, chemical analysis) in-house or through partner labs.

Basic Qualifications

• B.S. in Materials Science, Mechanical, Chemical, or Aerospace Engineering, or similar, or demonstrated equivalent experience and expertise.

• 1+ years of materials, process, or manufacturing engineering experience in aerospace or another high-reliability industry.

• Expertise in materials science (metals, polymers, ceramics, composites) and their failure modes, corrosion mechanisms, and basic chemistry (acid-base reactions, pH, material compatibility with process chemicals).

• Hands-on experience with at least one relevant process or lab method (composite layup and cure, bonding, coating application, ablative or TPS fabrication, wet chemical processing, welding, machining, mechanical testing, or metallography).

• Expertise in basic statistics (descriptive statistics, distributions, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, regression).

• Expertise reading engineering drawings, material specifications, and test reports, with strong first-principles problem solving to diagnose process defects and drive corrective action.

• Experience working safely with process chemicals, including acids, bases, and solvents, using proper PPE and handling procedures.

• Must be physically able to regularly lift 25 lbs., bend, stoop, and stand for extended periods while working directly with flight hardware.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• M.S. or PhD in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related discipline.

• Experience with ablative or high-temperature materials (phenolic-impregnated carbon ablator, carbon-carbon, ceramic matrix composites, silicone or epoxy-based ablatives).

• Experience with polymer and composite processing (prepreg layup, autoclave and out-of-autoclave cure, resin infusion, potting, bonding, cure kinetics).

• Experience with coatings, surface treatments, including thermal barrier coatings, anodization, conversion coatings, passivation, paints, primers, including surface prep and adhesion testing.

• Experience with corrosion testing and evaluation (salt spray, galvanic compatibility, crevice and stress corrosion, electrochemical methods).

• Experience with wet chemical processing, including bath chemistry monitoring and control, high-purity (deionized or reverse osmosis) water systems, and precision cleaning with cleanliness verification (NVR, particulate, water-break).

• Experience with aerospace metals (stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, nickel alloys) and their processing, including heat treatment, welding, brazing, and finishing.

• Experience with SPC, measurement system analysis (gage R&R), process capability (Cp/Cpk), and DOE with experience using statistical software (JMP, Minitab, Python or similar).

• Experience with thermal and chemical analysis (DSC, TGA, DMA, FTIR), mechanical testing (tensile, flexure, shear, peel, hardness), and NDE (ultrasonic, dye penetrant, X-ray, thermography), including interpreting results.

• Experience writing material and process specifications, test reports, and engineering memos.

• Experience supporting process qualification, first article builds, and RCCAs.

• Familiarity with space environment M&P requirements (outgassing, contamination control, electrical bonding and grounding) and relevant standards (AWS, ASTM, AMS, MMPDS).

Pay Range

• Salary Range: $119,543 - $172,673/per year

• This role is on-site in El Segundo, CA

• Leveling and base salary is determined by job-related skills, education level, experience level, and job performance

• You will be eligible for incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards