Vision Point Systems is seeking a Materials Science Engineer with expertise in metallurgy and 0-5 years of experience in performing metallurgical studies in a laboratory environment. This position will be primarily supporting the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division's advanced manufacturing branch, concentrated on additively manufactured Naval structural steels and other corrosion-resistant alloy systems. Highly qualified candidates will be able to demonstrate fundamental understanding of physical metallurgy, mechanical properties, and failure analyses. Typical duties of this position are related to those activities associated with metallurgical investigations, such as:

• Metallographic sample preparation, including sectioning, mounting, grinding/polishing, etching, and light-optical microscopy of grain structures, precipitates, or other features of interest.
• Evaluating the microstructure of additively manufactured materials, including failure analysis on microstructural defects.
• Operating testing equipment for metallurgical studies, e.g., hardness, dilatometry, calorimetry.
• Operating an SEM and using associated detectors for microstructural investigation such as EDS, WDS, and EBSD.
• Data analysis, modeling, and visualization using R, Python, or similar software.

This position shall include additional responsibilities in assisting with the operation of the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division's metal and polymer additive manufacturing systems. Experience operating additive manufacturing systems, including hobbyist-grade FDM 3D printers, is a plus but not required. Highly qualified candidates are expected to support the operation of a variety of additive manufacturing systems, with anticipated duties including:

• Assisting with the design, manufacturing, and post-processing of additively manufactured components.
• Thermomechanical and microstructural modeling of additive manufacturing processes through commercial ICME tools.
• Technical writing support for additive manufacturing project proposals, journal articles, and/or standards document development.
• Analyzing large datasets using Python, machine learning, or similar methodologies.

Requirements

• 0-5 years of experience in a metallurgical lab environment.
• Bachelor's degree in metallurgy, materials science/engineering, or similar is required.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance. US Citizenship required.
• Must be able to communicate at a high level in both written and verbal formats.

Desired skills:

• A master's degree with concentration in ferrous metallurgy and/or experience in ferrous metallurgy and steel characterization is desired.

Benefits

Full time employees with Vision Point Systems qualify for a generous benefits plan to include medical, dental, 1x your salary in life insurance, and short and long term disability. VPS also offers 401k participation and matching. Highly contributing team members are also rewarded with flexible work hours, travel, and training opportunities when available.