JOB DESCRIPTION/DUTIES:The Corrosion Engineer will serve as a Research and Development (R&D) technical leader supporting NRL. The position focuses on corrosion prevention and control for Navy maritime assets through applied research, physical and numerical modeling, cathodic protection system development, instrumentation, test and evaluation, and technology transition. The successful candidate will lead and coordinate complex corrosion R&D activities from test-plan development through execution, data analysis, reporting, and fleet-relevant application while ensuring technical integrity, Objective Quality Evidence (OQE), and alignment with Navy mission and sponsored-program objectives.
- Provide senior R&D management and technical leadership for corrosion science and engineering programs supporting Navy ships, submarines, marine structures, and other warfighting platforms.
- Plan, coordinate, and oversee fundamental and applied studies to identify, assess, measure, monitor, and mitigate corrosion and materials degradation in laboratory, seawater, waterfront, shipboard, and other Navy-relevant environments.
- Lead the design, construction, evaluation, and testing of cathodic protection systems used to protect maritime assets, including impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) systems, sacrificial anodes, reference cells, electrical isolation, monitoring, and control components.
- Develop, review, and vet test plans for Physical Scale Modeling (PSM) of ship and submarine corrosion-control systems, ensuring test objectives, configurations, instrumentation, controls, data requirements, and acceptance criteria are technically sound.
- Participate in PSM test execution, including setup, system checkout, data collection, troubleshooting, test monitoring, data analysis, interpretation of results, and preparation of technical reports and recommendations.
- Validate instrumentation prior to and during intensive test periods, including corrosion sensors, data-logging equipment, monitoring and control instrumentation, spectrum analyzers, potentiostat/galvanostats, and associated measurement systems.
- Stress-test control systems, instrumentation interfaces, data-acquisition systems, and experimental configurations before and during test events to identify vulnerabilities and assure test integrity, repeatability, and reliable data capture.
- Develop and apply physical and numerical models to evaluate corrosion behavior, cathodic protection performance, underwater electromagnetic properties, prognostics, and corrosion-control system effectiveness.
- Design and oversee experiments that characterize corrosion mechanisms, corrosion rates, durability, material properties, calcareous deposits, hydrogen effects, degradation mechanisms, and related electrochemical or mechanical behavior.
- Support the design and prototyping of corrosion assessment and mitigation technologies, including sensors, monitoring systems, tank inspection systems, wireless devices, test platforms, and associated software or analytical tools.
- Evaluate corrosion performance of metallic alloys, composites, ceramics, polymers, organic and inorganic coatings, and other materials used in Navy systems and operational environments.
- Use analytical, statistical, modeling, and data-visualization tools to interpret test results, identify trends, evaluate uncertainty, and translate experimental findings into actionable technical recommendations.
- Ensure scientific and engineering work is performed under approved test, quality assurance, safety, and data-management plans and is supported by reliable OQE.
- Track technical progress, labor and costs by subtask, risks, assigned actions, milestones, and project plans for assigned corrosion R&D efforts and communicate status to NRL and program sponsors.
- Participate in technical reviews, progress meetings, and Integrated Product Team (IPT) activities and provide corrosion science and engineering subject matter expertise to NRL, NAVSEA, Department of the Navy, Department of War, shipyards, fleet organizations, and industry stakeholders.
- Prepare, review, and contribute to technical reports, test reports, performance specifications, standards, procedures, guidance documents, presentations, and other technical deliverables that support corrosion-control implementation and technology transition.
- Support field demonstrations, waterfront testing, shipboard evaluations, and fleet-transition activities for corrosion sensors, cathodic protection technologies, coatings, materials, and other corrosion-control solutions.
- Mentor technical staff, promote disciplined scientific methods, and support knowledge transfer across multidisciplinary teams performing corrosion science and engineering RDT&E.
EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE/EXPERTISE:- Master of Science or Doctor of Philosophy degree in Engineering, Physical Science, or equivalent from an accredited university.
- Minimum of 8 years of demonstrated experience supporting a research environment with an appropriate knowledge base related to corrosion science and engineering and the overall Statement of Work.
- Demonstrated experience serving as a senior Research and Development (R&D) technical lead for complex scientific or engineering programs.
- Strong science and engineering credentials with expertise in applied and industrial Navy environments and proven ability to administer programs sponsored by the Department of the Navy and Department of War (DON and DOW).
- Advanced knowledge of corrosion science, electrochemistry, cathodic protection, corrosion monitoring, materials degradation, marine environments, and corrosion prevention and control technologies.
- Demonstrated experience designing, constructing, testing, or evaluating cathodic protection systems for maritime or Navy applications.
- Experience developing and vetting experimental test plans, executing complex test events, analyzing technical data, and preparing defensible technical reports and recommendations.
- Experience with Physical Scale Modeling (PSM), scaled ship/submarine models, or comparable experimental platforms is strongly preferred.
- Hands-on experience validating instrumentation, data-acquisition systems, control systems, sensors, and other equipment used in corrosion or electrochemical testing is strongly preferred.
- Experience with analytical and modeling tools used in corrosion R&D, such as MATLAB, LabVIEW, COMSOL, Python, or comparable engineering software, is preferred.
- Excellent technical writing, analytical, leadership, communication, and stakeholder-coordination skills.
- Ability to support laboratory, waterfront, shipboard, and field activities and occasional travel to Navy, DoD, shipyard, or other test locations.
- Active Secret security clearance required.
LOCATION:- Washington, DC or Key West, FL
