Materials Engineer | NPI Engineering

Location: South Burlington, Vermont, United States

Department: NPI Engineering 03-7407

• Lead materials and/or process development projects from conception through technology readiness level 7.
• Become intimately familiar with the materials and manufacturing processes currently used to fabricate and assemble the aircraft to promote concept generation for new materials and/or processes.
• Conduct research in key areas of interest to further promote concept generation for new technologies.
• Perform experiments on candidate materials and processes.
• Build and test proof-of-concept prototypes to inform technology development proposals.
• Collaborate with the design and manufacturing teams to conceptualize new materials and/or processes aimed at cost reduction, performance improvement, and/or manufacturing scalability.
• Collaborate with supply chain and manufacturing teams to define the make versus buy and transfer of ownership strategies for new candidate materials and/or processes.
• Assist in the selection of manufacturing process equipment in coordination with design, manufacturing, and production teams.
• Prepare technology development proposals that detail the business need, development plan, risk mitigation plan, project cost, and return on investment of introducing the new technology and obtain approval from stakeholders.
• Support manufacturing and production teams after transition of ownership for newly developed technologies.

• Bachelor’s degree in materials engineering or another engineering field.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, or high-rate production.
• Strong background in new product introduction (NPI).
• Proficiency in one or more materials and process categories including, but not limited to, the following: metallics, ceramics, polymers, composites, filament winding, automated fiber placement, resin transfer molding, compression molding, injection molding, resin casting, metal additive manufacturing, forging, metal casting, stamping, welding, conventional spray coating, thermal spray coating, and electroplating.
• Experience in scaling production, integrating new products, and driving cost reduction.
• Experience performing material evaluations utilizing common materials laboratory techniques, including, but not limited to, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis.
• Familiarity with FAA Part 21 production requirements and quality systems is a plus.
• Strong ability to write detailed technical reports and communicate findings effectively.
• Data-driven decision maker, using analytics to guide process improvements.
• Ability to work hard to meet our ambitious goals and tight deadlines.
• Ability to remain self-motivated after repeated failures until the project achieves success.