Senior Composites Engineer

Lyten•San Jose, CA

3d•$128,200 - $192,400

About The Position

Lyten is seeking a Senior Composites Engineer to lead the development of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) formulations incorporating Lyten’s proprietary materials. The role serves as a technical anchor for integrating advanced nanomaterials into resin systems for high-performance composite applications, working across materials synthesis, product engineering, and internal and external manufacturing teams. The objective is to formulate, scale, and deliver manufacturable resin systems for prepreg, resin transfer molding (RTM), or similar composite manufacturing formats. This is an applied commercial product development role focused on taking materials from laboratory development into scaled manufacturing. The engineer will design and optimize polymer matrix systems, coordinate formulation and processing development, and validate materials against product specifications. The position involves collaboration with internal teams and manufacturing partners, development of project documentation and presentations, and periodic travel to facilities, customer visits, and trade shows.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science, Polymer Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Composite Engineering, or a related field and 5 or more years of experience; or a master’s degree and 3 or more years of experience; or a PhD and 1 or more year of experience.
Direct, hands-on industry experience in commercial product development within the composites or polymers industry; purely academic or postdoctoral research does not fulfill this requirement.
Deep understanding of polymer chemistry, resin formulation, and composite matrix design.
Direct experience formulating materials for prepreg manufacturing, RTM, or similar advanced composite processing methods.
Strong knowledge of interactions among carbon fiber reinforcements, sizing, and polymer matrices.
Ability to translate technical material data into actionable manufacturing guidelines for diverse teams.

Nice To Haves

Experience dispersing nanomaterials, such as graphene or carbon nanotubes, into polymer matrices.
Proven track record of taking a composite material product from initial concept through commercialization and mass production.
Experience working with advanced lightweight structures in the aerospace, automotive, or sporting goods industries.

Responsibilities

Design and formulate polymer matrix systems, including epoxies, thermoplastics, and advanced thermosets, incorporating Lyten 3D Graphene™ to enhance CFRP mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties.
Optimize resin rheology, tack, out-life, and cure kinetics for prepreg manufacturing and automated layup processes.
Create project documentation and communicate timelines and results through presentations to internal teams.
Collaborate with the internal materials team to refine nanomaterial functionalization and dispersion techniques.
Partner with product teams to define material specifications based on end-user mechanical and environmental requirements.
Work with end-product manufacturing teams to ensure formulations are drop-in compatible with prepreg, towpreg, or liquid molding production lines.
Travel periodically to other facilities, customer visits, and trade shows.
Transition formulations from bench-top R&D to pilot scale and high-volume commercial manufacturing.
Develop and execute design of experiments (DoE) to optimize formulation processing parameters.
Oversee thermal, rheological, and mechanical testing, including DMA, DSC, TGA, rheometry, and tensile, flexural, and impact testing.
Characterize, troubleshoot, and resolve material- and process-related manufacturing defects such as voids, poor wet-out, and delamination.