Materials Engineer, Polymer Development

About the role

The Polymer Development Materials Engineer will participate in and lead the end-to-end development of advanced polymeric materials. In this role, you will develop new material solutions such as adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings, thermal protection materials, and emulsions for use across SpaceX’s hardware programs. You will partner closely with customers to define design criteria and performance requirements, drive formulation and process development, coordinate testing with materials laboratories, collaborate with engineering teams on implementation, and work with production teams to successfully scale materials into manufacturing.

This position requires strong technical ownership, cross-functional collaboration, and the ability to deliver high-performance materials that meet demanding programmatic needs.

Responsibilities

• Partner with engineers to define material requirements, translate design criteria into technical targets, and provide clear progress updates
• Own technical decision-making throughout the development process, selecting and refining pathways that deliver materials meeting or exceeding design requirements
• Investigate and resolve material failures or unexpected results, turning issues into actionable learnings that accelerate project progress
• Act as a technical expert and project owner for polymeric material development efforts
• Guide and mentor project specialists and technicians in executing formulation, testing, and process development work
• Collaborate closely with engineering and production teams to ensure new materials are successfully integrated into production work centers
• Lead the iterative development cycle by designing efficient experiments, analyzing data, drawing conclusions, and defining the next set of actions
• Drive materials development projects from initial concept through full qualification and production scale-up
• Coordinate with materials laboratories to plan, prioritize, and interpret characterization and performance testing
• Work with production and manufacturing teams to support process scale-up, improve manufacturability, and enable reliable high-volume production
• Maintain thorough technical documentation of development decisions, test results, and qualification data

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Polymer Science, Materials Science and Engineering
• 2+ years of professional experience in polymeric material formulation, chemical synthesis, polymer chemistry, or a non-metallic materials engineering role

Skills

• Master’s degree or PhD in Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Polymer Science, Materials Science and Engineering, or a related discipline
• Deep understanding of organic and polymer chemistries
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent projects with clear schedules and deliverables
• Strong engineering judgment and self-motivation with a track record of driving projects independently
• Experience in R&D pertaining to non-metallic materials (adhesives, paints, coatings, seals, emulsions, etc.)
• Experience designing polymeric materials, manufacturing polymeric materials, and/or translating developed materials to production
• Demonstrated ability to perform root cause analysis on test data, equipment issues, or process deviations
• Experience mentoring lab technicians or specialists
• Hands-on experience with analytical equipment such as FTIR, TGA, DSC, DMA, TMA, TPS, NMR, UV-Vis, GPC, GC, MS, or similar

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Short and long-term disability insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid parental leave
• 3 weeks of paid vacation
• 10 or more paid holidays per year
• Paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan with stock discount
• Long-term incentives in the form of company stock or long-term cash awards
• Potential discretionary bonuses
• Various other discounts and perks

Pay

Pay Range:

• Level 1: $100,000.00 - $130,000.00
• Level 2: $115,000.00 - $160,000.00

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related knowledge, skills, education, and experience.

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), Refugee under 8 U.S.C.1157, or Asylee under 8 U.S.C.1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.