Process Engineer II (Coatings & Thin Films)

Impulse Space•Redondo Beach, CA

20d•Onsite

About The Position

As a Process Engineer at Impulse Space, you will lead the manufacturing scale-up and production of our advanced coatings and catalytic materials. In this role, you will be the bridge between R&D and production, acting as the direct counterpart to our materials design and characterization engineering team. Your primary focus will be taking novel passive thermal control coatings designed for LEO and GEO environments and developing the robust, scalable processes needed to manufacture them. This is a highly cross-functional role requiring expertise in both thin-film deposition and downstream physical processing.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline
3+ years of hands-on experience in process engineering, specifically focused on scaling up thin film, coating, or deposition technologies
Proven experience developing downstream manufacturing and converting processes, such as roll-to-roll handling, slitting, perforating, and adhesive lamination
Experience transitioning materials or chemical products from R&D into a pilot or full-scale production environment
Strong understanding of manufacturing fundamentals, including Design of Experiments (DOE) and Statistical Process Control (SPC)

Nice To Haves

4+ years of direct experience developing or manufacturing hardware for aerospace applications, with an understanding of the space environment (e.g., thermal cycling, atomic oxygen, radiation)
Prior experience with catalyst production, handling, or integration
Familiarity with specific deposition techniques (e.g., PVD, CVD, ALD) and vacuum systems
Experience designing custom automated or semi-automated manufacturing equipment

Responsibilities

Partner with the materials design engineering team to transition novel passive thermal control coatings from lab-scale R&D into reliable, repeatable production
Develop, optimize, and scale thin film deposition processes tailored to survive the harsh environments of LEO and GEO
Design and implement the downstream production steps for coated materials, including precision slitting, perforating, and the application of backside adhesives
Lead the scale-up and manufacturing strategy for proprietary catalysts used in our propulsion systems, ensuring consistency and high yield
Design, procure, and commission custom tooling, fixturing, and manufacturing equipment for new products and processes
Establish standard operating procedures (SOPs), quality control metrics, and continuous improvement initiatives for the coating and catalyst production lines
Troubleshoot manufacturing bottlenecks and perform root-cause analysis on process deviations