Advanced Engineer, Materials Science

Duties and Responsibilities

• Material Selection, Qualification & Behavior
• Plan and execute material tests including tensile, creep, fatigue, thermal cycling, hardness, and corrosion/oxidation evaluations.
• Use metallography, SEM/EDS, and other microstructural methods to understand material behavior and property changes under operating conditions.
• Support nondestructive evaluation (NDE) approaches when required.
• Additive Manufacturing Support
• Assess metal powders, powder behavior, and printability for powder-bed and DED additive systems.
• Work directly with AM engineers to connect material properties with parameter development, heat-treatment cycles, and post-processing requirements.
• Verify that process changes, maintain material integrity and meet downstream performance demands.
• Failure Analysis & Quality Control
• Investigate component or material failures using microstructural analysis, fracture mechanics, and material degradation models.
• Translate findings into improved designs, tighter process controls, or updated material specifications.
• Research, Development & Process Improvement
• Drive R&D efforts for next-generation materials suitable for high-efficiency distributed power generation.
• Collaborate with design, thermal, combustion, and mechanical teams to create data-driven material strategies.
• Improve welding, joining, heat-treat, and fabrication practices to increase durability and manufacturability.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration & Documentation
• Prepare clear technical reports, specifications, and test summaries.
• Work with suppliers, powder vendors, and external labs to qualify materials and coatings.
• Ensure all material documentation aligns with ASTM, ASME, and internal engineering standards.

Qualifications

• Education, Experience and Certifications
• Bachelor’s in metallurgical engineering or materials science degree required
• 5+ years working with metals and materials characterization (graduate research counts).
• Strong background in material behaviors such as fatigue, creep, oxidation, and thermal-mechanical degradation.
• Experience supporting additive manufacturing materials or metal powder evaluation is strongly preferred.
• Skills and Abilities
• Hands-on experience with mechanical testing, microstructural evaluation, and failure analysis.
• Understanding of how material properties change with heat treatment, AM process changes, or post-processing steps.
• Familiarity with high-temperature alloys, surface treatments, coatings, and joining methods.
• Ability to evaluate metal integrity when parameters or processes shift.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving ability.
• Clear, concise technical communication.
• Comfortable working across disciplines (AM, thermal, mechanical, combustion, suppliers).
• Detail-oriented with a research-driven mindset.