Head of Materials & Process

Aetherflux

$160K — $227K *
Aerospace & Defense
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in materials engineering or a related field.
  • 5+ years of relevant materials and processing experience, especially with nickel-based superalloys.
  • 1+ years of experience in additive manufacturing.

Responsibilities

  • Define factory standards and oversee non-destructive testing methods to ensure reliability.
  • Lead the development of braze and weld joints for vehicle and engine components.
  • Drive the characterization and development of material property databases for design.
  • Optimize laser powder bed fusion processes, focusing on nickel-based superalloys.
  • Conduct rapid root-cause analysis through metallography and mechanical testing.
  • Provide technical sign-offs on engineering drawings and specs to tackle complex hardware challenges.
  • Recruit and mentor a team of materials and processing engineers and technicians.

Benefits

  • Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.
  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and eligible dependents.
  • 401(k) retirement savings plan.
  • Paid time off and 10 paid holidays per year.
  • Paid parental leave.
  • Relocation assistance available if necessary.
  • Daily lunch provisions and a fully stocked kitchen.
Full Job Description
About the Role:

Own the material development, qualification, processing integrity, and metallurgical performance across all vehicle systems. This includes metallurgy, heat treatment, welds, brazes, and additive manufacturing, as well as curating the foundational material databases that power our design decisions. Responsible for ensuring that every structural joint and component survives extreme operating environments with absolute reliability, minimal weight, and maximum manufacturing throughput.

Responsibilities:
  • Establish Factory Standards: Define processes and oversee NDT/NDI methods to ensure manufacturing reliability and repeatability.
  • Develop Joining Techniques: Lead the development of braze and weld joints in the iterative hardware development cycle for vehicle and engine components.
  • Own Material Databases: Drive the characterization and development of physical, mechanical, and thermal properties to fuel our design databases.
  • Advance Additive Manufacturing: Partner daily with development and production teams to optimize LPBF processes, focusing heavily on nickel-based superalloys.
  • Drive Failure Analysis: Lead rapid root-cause investigations using metallography, fractography, and mechanical testing.
  • Collaborate & Review: Provide authoritative technical sign-offs on drawings, specs, and designs to solve complex vehicle-level hardware challenges.
  • Build & Lead the Team: Recruit, mentor, and grow a world-class team of M&P engineers and technicians.

Required Qualifications:
  • Bachelor's degree in materials engineering or related engineering field.
  • 5+ years of relevant M&P experience, including with nickel-based superalloys
  • 1+ years of relevant additive manufacturing experience

Preferred Qualifications:
  • Master's degree or PhD in materials engineering or related field
  • 5+ years of professional work experience developing or qualifying laser powder bed fusion processes for nickel-based superalloys (e.g., Inconel 718, 625)
  • Experience with one or more of the following manufacturing methods: additive (laser powder bed fusion), direct energy deposition (DED), casting, forging, brazing, heat treating, laser welding
  • Understanding of mechanical testing methods for metals including fracture and fatigue
  • Knowledge of aerospace metals including nickel-based alloys, stainless steels, aluminum alloys, and titanium alloys
  • Hands-on experience in a manufacturing environment
  • Understanding of non-destructive test methods for fracture control
  • Experience with fracture mechanics, fatigue, and creep testing of additively manufactured superalloys
  • Hands-on experience with process monitoring, in-situ sensors, or advanced process control for LPBF
  • Direct experience designing and developing weld and braze processes


Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $160,000-$227,000 annually. The actual base salary offered will depend on factors such as job-related skills, experience, qualifications, and internal equity.
  • Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.
  • Employees and their eligible dependents may enroll in medical, dental, and vision insurance
  • 401(k) retirement savings plan
  • Paid time off
  • 10 paid holidays per calendar year
  • Paid parental leave
  • Relocation assistance if applicable
  • Daily lunch in the office and a fully stocked kitchen with beverages and snacks

ITAR Requirements
  • Export Control Requirement: To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here.

Disclaimer

This job description is a summary of the primary duties and responsibilities of the job and position. It is not intended to be a comprehensive or all-inclusive listing of duties and responsibilities. Contents are subject to change at Cowboy Space Corp.'s discretion.

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