Materials and Process Engineer (Mid/ Senior)

Hybron•El Segundo, CA

9d•$105,000 - $167,000•Onsite

About The Position

Hybron is an advanced manufacturing company that is building lightweight composites at mass production scale. At Hybron, we have pioneered a new composites manufacturing process that enables complex, high performance composite parts to be produced 10-100 times faster than traditional manufacturing, at a fraction of the cost. We recently closed an oversubscribed $25M seed round, are backed by the Northrop Grumman Technology Accelerator, and are rapidly growing to commercialize and mass produce composite products at a scale never seen before. Our current focus is applying our proprietary process to composite artillery shells, solid rocket motor nozzles, gas turbine engine components, and airframes. If you want to join a rapidly growing company working on cutting edge composites technology while building capabilities for the warfighter and reshoring U.S. manufacturing, then we want to speak with you. This is a full-time, in-person role at our El Segundo facility. As you will be working at an early-stage deep tech startup, this role will span many different responsibilities. You'll need to be a self-starter who's comfortable moving between the lab bench, the manufacturing floor, and cross-functional coordination in the same day. In exchange, you'll have real influence over the product development, strategy, and trajectory of a fast-growing company, and the chance to make rapid professional gains in an environment built for growth. As a Materials & Process engineer, you’ll connect materials chemistries to the process-structure-property relationship of Hybron’s fiber-reinforced composites, using a novel material construction. You'll guide material selection, formulation changes, and process development to meet the demanding requirements of aerospace, defense, and energy applications — bridging material characterization, manufacturing process, and final part performance across a wide range of material families and processing domains. Day to day, this looks like running and interpreting material characterization (TGA, DMA, DSC, rheology, mechanical, and similar), designing and executing process and mechanical test campaigns, diagnosing and root-causing part or process failures, and translating findings into process changes that hold up at production scale. You'll work closely with external suppliers and collaborators to source, evaluate, and qualify new material options. You'll also help build the systems such as lab organization, SOPs, and test protocols as we scale. Working in a high-growth company, you will be wearing many hats: project management, requirements identification, materials characterization, part manufacturing, testing design, test execution, quality inspection, cross-team collaboration, supply chain engagement, and more.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. Person pursuant to EAR and ITAR definitions
Ability to work in-person at our facility in El Segundo, Monday-Friday
Bachelor's degree in a relevant engineering or science field (Composites, Materials Science, Chemistry, Polymer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Manufacturing, etc.), with a strong chemistry background; advanced degree preferred
3+ years of post-graduate industry experience in composite materials design and manufacturing for Mid-level candidates; 5+ years, with demonstrated technical leadership, for Senior-level candidates
Strong fundamental knowledge of materials science, with demonstrated experience connecting material composition to process-structure-property optimization
Ability to design and execute material characterization (TGA, TMA, DMA, DSC, rheology) and mechanical coupon testing
Experience working with external suppliers, customers, and collaborators to identify, procure, and analyze relevant materials
Experience with failure analysis and root cause analysis
Experience with lab management, organization, and SOP development
Comfortable working in a lab and manufacturing environment.
Strong problem-solving skills, with a drive to deliver on ambitious schedules, including unconventional and creative solutions when needed
Thrives in cross-functional organizations with strong communication and collaboration
Must be able to routinely lift, carry, push, and pull objects weighing up to 25 lbs

Nice To Haves

Experience and advanced knowledge with composite manufacturing methods
Experience with chopped and continuous fiber materials and manufacturing
Experience with Design of Experiments (DOE) or statistical process optimization tools (e.g., JMP, Minitab)
Experience scaling a process from lab/pilot scale to production volume
Familiarity with quality systems relevant to aerospace/defense manufacturing (AS9100, NADCAP, MIL-SPEC)
Experience with adhesives and various resin chemistries, including but not limited to epoxy, BMI, cyanate ester, vinyl ester, phenolics
Experience scaling a process from lab to pilot+ scale
Experience in the Aerospace or Defense industry
Experience working at or leading a small company/business, or with small teams

Responsibilities

Connect materials chemistries to the process-structure-property relationship of Hybron’s fiber-reinforced composites, using a novel material construction.
Guide material selection, formulation changes, and process development to meet the demanding requirements of aerospace, defense, and energy applications.
Bridge material characterization, manufacturing process, and final part performance across a wide range of material families and processing domains.
Run and interpret material characterization (TGA, DMA, DSC, rheology, mechanical, and similar).
Design and execute process and mechanical test campaigns.
Diagnose and root-cause part or process failures.
Translate findings into process changes that hold up at production scale.
Work closely with external suppliers and collaborators to source, evaluate, and qualify new material options.
Help build the systems such as lab organization, SOPs, and test protocols as we scale.
Wear many hats: project management, requirements identification, materials characterization, part manufacturing, testing design, test execution, quality inspection, cross-team collaboration, supply chain engagement, and more.
Build and scale Hybron’s Materials & Process team.
Make key decisions and spearhead initiatives that will directly shape Hybron’s process capabilities and methodology.
Identify and execute on developing/integrating strategic technological capabilities.
Manage a team of engineers for product and technology development.
Contribute to IP and novel manufacturing techniques.
Assist with technical business development efforts.
Spearhead, oversee, and deliver on large technology development initiatives.

Benefits

Paid time off
Vacation – 10+ working days per year
Sick – 5 working days per year
Hybron observes US holidays with several additional days off to keep you charged
Daily lunches provided by the company
401K with employer-matched contributions up to 4% of salary
Medical insurance – 95% EE, 75% DEP employer contribution
Dental insurance – 95% EE, 75% DEP employer contribution
Vision insurance – 95% EE, 75% DEP employer contribution
Life, short and long-term disability insurance – 100% company covered