Chemical Engineer, Polymer Coatings

1X • San Carlos, CA

1d

About The Position

1X is developing humanoid robots for home use, aiming to automate chores and give people back their time. This requires solving complex challenges in robotics, AI, and manufacturing simultaneously. The company has been working on this since 2014 and is now focused on shipping its flagship product, NEO. The Materials Science team, where this role sits, works at the intersection of materials science, chemistry, hardware engineering, and manufacturing to create foundational technologies for the robots. They research and develop advanced polymers, elastomers, adhesives, coatings, and functional materials that impact the robot's durability, performance, energy efficiency, and manufacturability. The team collaborates closely with other engineering disciplines, moving rapidly from lab research to real robotic systems.

Requirements

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Polymer Chemistry, Polymer Science, or a closely related engineering discipline.
• Minimum 3 years of experience developing advanced polymer coating materials.
• Strong experience with material characterization techniques including DMA, DSC, TGA, FTIR, rheology, and mechanical testing.
• Experience with polymer synthesis, formulation chemistry, polyurethane or other polymer chemistries for coating.
• Experience designing statistically rigorous experiments (DOE) and analyzing experimental data to optimize material performance.
• Excellent laboratory skills with strong attention to chemical safety, documentation, and experimental rigor.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts across multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced research and product development environment.
• Strong understanding of polymer chemistry, formulation science, and advanced polymer coating materials.
• Hands-on laboratory expertise with polymer synthesis, material characterization, and experimental design.
• Practical knowledge of coatings, polymer processing, surface preparation, adhesion, and formulation variables.
• Strong analytical mindset with experience using data to optimize formulations and manufacturing processes.
• Excellent collaboration across chemistry, materials science, mechanical engineering, manufacturing, and systems engineering.
• Ownership mindset with the ability to independently drive research from concept through production implementation.

Nice To Haves

• Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Polymer Science, Polymer Engineering, or a closely related discipline; alternatively, a bachelor’s or master’s degree with 5 years of industry experience developing polymer coatings or related material systems.
• Great understanding of the polymer chemistry and formulation principles of commercial coating systems, including one or more of the following: polyurethane, acrylic, silicone, fluoropolymer, latex-based, or hybrid formulations.
• Good understanding of polymer physics related to coatings, including glass transition, crystallinity, modulus, viscoelasticity, damping, toughness, creep, stress relaxation, fatigue, and thermal or environmental aging.
• Experience scaling laboratory formulations into pilot or high-volume manufacturing.
• Experience collaborating with external suppliers, raw material vendors, or manufacturing partners.
• Knowledge of intellectual property development and technical documentation supporting patent filings.

Responsibilities

• Develop advanced coating materials that define the next generation of humanoid robotics.
• Lead polymer chemistry-driven research and development efforts focused on novel polymer coating materials for load-bearing composites applications.
• Design experiments, characterize materials, and collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering teams to integrate new materials into production-ready robotic systems.
• Connect coating chemistry and polymer fundamental properties to materials performance, including adhesion, friction, abrasion, heat generation, flexibility, fatigue, and others.
• Develop novel polymer coating materials for load-bearing materials and composites.
• Characterize coating and composite material performance using advanced chemical, thermal, and mechanical analysis techniques, including tensile, abrasion, adhesion, flex-fatigue, DMA, DSC, TGA, FTIR, and optical microscopy testing.
• Build a clear structure–property–process–performance model linking coating polymer chemistry, physical properties, and application parameters to performance in the defined use cases.
• Investigate coating and composite failures and implement chemistry-driven solutions that improve materials performance.
• Establish laboratory procedures, testing methodologies, and documentation that support manufacturing readiness and intellectual property development.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Generous paid time off, company holidays, and parental leave
• 401(k) plan with company match (100% on the first 3% of contributions, 50% on the next 2%)
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA) options
• Commuter benefits (transit and parking)
• Short-term and long-term disability, and life insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for mental health, financial, and personal support
• Onsite snacks and catered lunches

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior