Materials & Processes Engineer II, Propulsion

About the Team:  

The Materials and NDE (Non-Destructive Evaluation) team plays a central role in enabling Terran R to fly, re-fly, and scale: developing, characterizing, and inspecting materials and processes across all parts of the vehicle. From welding and additive manufacturing to advanced composites, the team works at the intersection of innovation and execution, balancing performance and reliability with cost, quality, and schedule. As we move toward first flight and beyond, the challenges become more exciting, offering opportunities to shape how we design and develop for re-use. With ownership across products, systems, and disciplines, engineers gain broad exposure and drive key decisions across design, manufacturing, and operations.

About the Role: 

• Be the M&P owner of reusable Liquid Propulsion Materials Systems, Disciplines, and Products
• Qualify materials for flight + reuse, with a focus on AM technologies such as laser powder bed fusion and associated post-print processes
• Develop, implement, and maintain technical specifications and engineering standards
• Drive statistically-driven experimental design and process improvement campaigns
• Interface with:
  • Materials engineering staff to identify, define, and fill critical technology gaps
  • Laboratory staff to characterize materials and processes
  • Propulsion Designers to support materials selection, allowables development, analysis, qualification, flight, and reuse
  • Process/MFG engineering to iterate on processes that form our materials, troubleshooting issues, and enabling reduction of cost + rate while maintaining needed performance
  • Quality assurance to facilitate specification compliance validation
  • Product engineering to perform failure analysis and root cause and corrective action campaigns
  • Relativity + Customer Fracture Control Boards to achieve vehicle reuse
  • Leadership to elevate risks and overcome roadblocks

About You:  

• Bachelor’s degree in materials science or engineering, or related field
• 2+ years of relevant materials experience
• Experience with general propulsion hardware M&P activities, such as material selection, qualification, and failure analysis
• Experience performing material and part qualifications for laser powder bed fusion systems or similar AM technologies
• A core commitment to accountability, collaboration, and execution
• A desire to establish and foster strong interdisciplinary relationships across the company
• An authentic, introspective, and inclusive mindset towards technical, interpersonal, and team growth and development
• Passion to work in a fast-paced and challenging environment on constantly iterating products + processes, driving big impact on critical engine program needs

Nice to haves, but not required:  

• Expertise in nickel, copper, ferrous, or titanium alloy systems
• Deep understanding of liquid propulsion engine systems and the materials challenges that arise within them
• Metallic additive process M&P experience in Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF), Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM), Laser Powder Direct Energy Deposition (LP-DED), Cold Spray, etc.
• Metallic fusion welding M&P experience in Laser Welding, GTAW, GMAW, etc.
• Metallic wrought, forging, or casting M&P experience
• Knowledge of surface modification processes and coatings relevant to reusable propulsion applications
• Solid background in statistical experimental design and design allowable calculation methodology
• Leveling is flexible – please see other posting levels for expectations