Materials and Process Engineer, Air Dominance and Strike

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Air Dominance and Strike Aerostructures Engineering Team designs and analyzes advanced structural parts for Group 5 air vehicles and missile platforms. The team owns the full development lifecycle, from conceptual through detailed design and analysis of primary and secondary structures, building high-performance, resilient, scalable mechanical systems that meet the demands of complex, contested environments. As the M&P engineer on this team, you’ll own the materials and process side of that work: selecting materials, executing processes, and qualifying the metallic and composite hardware that our structures engineers design.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Material & Process Ownership 

• Own material selection and compliance for primary and secondary structural parts (metallic and composite) alongside the structures engineers designing them, from preliminary design through prototype manufacturing and production
• Execute against established processes for bonding, surface prep, coatings, fastening, and composite layup on airframe hardware
• Contribute to structural trade studies by weighing material and process choices against weight, performance, manufacturability, cost, and schedule
• Apply design-for-manufacturing thinking so structural solutions are producible at rate

Standards, Documentation & Vendor Interface

• Contribute to material and process standards, approved materials lists, and common procedures used across air vehicle programs
• Author sections of technical documentation such as specifications, procedures, test reports, and vendor requirements, with review and mentorship from senior engineers
• Support review of vendor and subcontractor build records for materials and process compliance

Testing & Characterization

• Design and run testing to characterize materials and process performance, including bond strength, coupon-level mechanicals, and environmental exposure
• Coordinate with internal and external test labs on characterization and failure analysis
• Reduce and analyze test data, draw defensible engineering conclusions, and communicate them clearly to structures and manufacturing engineering

Manufacturing & Integration Support

• Provide onsite engineering support at manufacturing and integration sites, including root-causing process issues, dispositioning non-conformances, and closing loops with structures and manufacturing
• Support failure reviews and root cause investigations alongside more senior engineers

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• B.S. in Materials Science, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, or related field
• 2+ years of experience in aerospace, defense, or a related industry (internship, co-op, or academic project experience counts toward the lower end)
• Foundational knowledge of materials science and structural engineering principles
• Familiarity with manufacturing processes relevant to airframe hardware (bonding, machining, coating, surface finishing, composites, fastening)
• Willingness to work in a dynamic environment, take direction from senior engineers, and iterate quickly
• Strong time management, organizational, and communication skills
• Ability to obtain and maintain a US DoD Secret Clearance or higher

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Hands-on shop skills, able to fabricate parts and fixtures in-house using mills, lathes, drills, band saws, and standard hand tools
• Familiarity with structural testing methods and experimentation, including ASTM test standards, load frames, strain gaging, and structural mechanics fundamentals
• Coursework or project experience in composites design, fabrication, or testing
• Exposure to Siemens NX or similar CAD
• Experience with fast-paced prototype fabrication, particularly of uncrewed aircraft
• Coursework or exposure to high-temperature materials selection
• Familiarity with material characterization techniques such as FTIR, SEM, TGA, and mechanical testing
• Practical aircraft knowledge (pilot’s license, A&P, RC/UAV building, etc.)