Senior Materials & Processes Engineer, Adhesives and Sealants

Location: Long Beach, California, United States

Department: Materials and Non-Destructive Engineering

About the Team:  

The Materials and NDE (Non-Destructive Evaluation) team plays a central role in enabling Terran R to fly, re-fly, and scale: developing, characterizing, and inspecting materials and processes across all parts of the vehicle. From welding and additive manufacturing to advanced composites, the team works at the intersection of innovation and execution, balancing performance and reliability with cost, quality, and schedule. As we move toward first flight and beyond, the challenges become more exciting, offering opportunities to shape how we design and develop for re-use. With ownership across products, systems, and disciplines, engineers gain broad exposure and drive key decisions across design, manufacturing, and operations.

About the role: 

• Be the M&P discipline expert for all Terran-R adhesives & sealants
• Own adhesive & sealant interaction and usage in sensitive Terran-R environments (payload, avionics, etc.)
• Identify qualification envelopes, form test plans, execute characterization campaigns, and analyze data for flight qualification and usage
• Develop, implement, and maintain technical specifications and engineering standards
• Drive statistically-driven experimental design and process improvement campaigns
• Interface with:
  • Materials engineers to identify, define, and fill critical technology gaps through Relativity developed + commercially available materials
  • Laboratory staff to characterize materials and processes
  • Responsible Engineers to support materials selection, design and analysis, qualification, failure analysis, flight, and reuse
  • Manufacturing and TPS engineers to develop processes, troubleshoot issues, and enable cost & rate while maintaining required performance
  • Build reliability and supply chain to ensure compliance and reliability
  • Relativity + Customer Fracture Control Boards to achieve vehicle reuse
  • Leadership to develop technical roadmaps, elevate risks, and overcome roadblocks

About you:

• Bachelor’s degree in materials science or engineering, or related field
• 5+ years of experience relevant to the competencies listed below
• Leveling is flexible – please see other posting levels for expectations
• Experience with general M&P activities, such as formulation, material selection, process development, qualification, damage tolerance, inspections, risk assessments, and failure analysis
• A core commitment to accountability, collaboration, and execution
• A desire to establish and foster strong interdisciplinary relationships across the company
• An authentic, introspective, and inclusive mindset towards technical, interpersonal, and team growth and development
• Passion to work in a fast-paced and challenging environment on constantly iterating products + processes, driving impact on the Terran-R program as we ramp manufacturing rate + achieve reuse

Nice to haves, but not required:

• Demonstrated hands-on ownership of non-metallic materials and processes for use in aerospace products, such as:
  • Structural & non-structural adhesives, sealants, and elastomers
  • Primers, paints, and coatings for corrosion, thermal, and electrical applications
  • Potting, staking, and conformal coats
  • Elastomeric gaskets and seals
  • Other polymeric material systems for non-structural and structural applications
  • Dry film lubricants and greases
• Expertise with contamination control and outgassing principles
• Expertise with non-metallic testing standards and procedures
• Understanding of cryogenic and high temperature non-metallic material behavior in launch vehicle relevant environments