Materials Engineer (New Grad December 2026)

Freeform • Los Angeles, CA

2d • Onsite

About The Position

Freeform builds AI-native manufacturing systems that unify software, hardware, and physics to produce industrial-scale parts at the speed of human ideation. By treating manufacturing as a single integrated system, we unlock a new era of innovation where complex hardware is designed, built, and scaled without limits. As a Materials Engineer at Freeform, you will support the company's M&P infrastructure, strategy, and best practices for our advanced metal 3D printing technology. You will work alongside senior engineers to conduct hands on sample testing, analyze findings, and contribute to strategic process improvements. This is a unique opportunity to build a fundamental understanding of metals characterization and processing while working at the cutting edge of additive manufacturing. 3D printing experience is not required to be successful here, rather we look for smart, motivated, collaborative engineers who love solving hard problems and creating amazing technology!

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Materials Engineering, Metallurgy, or Mechanical Engineering from an ABET accredited university or college
• Hands on lab or coursework experience with metals characterization, processing, or sample preparation techniques such as cutting, grinding, polishing, acid etching, and optical microscopy
• Well versed in materials engineering fundamentals and comfortable taking a first principles approach to solving problems

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree (Master's, PhD) in Materials Science, Materials Engineering, Metallurgy, or Mechanical Engineering
• Experience with metal additive manufacturing highly preferred
• Experience with laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) processes
• Experience operating complex materials equipment (SEM, Instron, etc.)
• Familiarity with processing large datasets and statistical data analysis software such as R, JMP, or Minitab
• Passion for improving the state of metal 3D printing
• Comfortable working in fast paced, ambiguous environments and iterating quickly (comfortable building the plane as we fly it)
• Strong communicator who collaborates across disciplines and proactively seeks support when needed
• Willing to take ownership of tasks big and small, with a hands on, problem solving mindset
• Strong work ethic with a refuse to fail mindset
• Demonstrated indicators of excellence and/or achieving success against adversity (i.e. top academic performance, leadership in engineering clubs, first generation college student, or other examples of resilience and achievement)

Responsibilities

• Support the development of Freeform's M&P best practices and materials testing infrastructure
• Operate equipment to measure material properties such as tensile strength, surface roughness, and microstructure
• Generate and track quality metrics of printed customer parts such as dimensional accuracy, defect distribution, and surface roughness
• Organize, analyze, and interpret data and present key findings
• Work with the process development team to tie key materials findings into improvement of upstream printing processes, including training our advanced machine learning models
• Assist in optimizing processes and procedures for measuring and quantifying material quality
• Support automation efforts for M&P procedures to take human out of the loop

Benefits

• Significant stock option packages
• 100% employer-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance (premium PPO and HMO options)
• Life insurance
• Traditional and Roth 401(k)
• Relocation assistance provided
• Paid vacation, sick leave, and company holidays
• Generous Paid Parental Leave and extended transition back to work for the birthing parent
• Free daily catered lunch and dinner, and fully stocked kitchenette
• Casual dress, flexible work hours, and regular catered team building events

What This Job Offers

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