Senior Materials Engineer

Joby Aviation•Marina, CA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Joby Aviation is seeking an experienced materials engineer to join its Additive Manufacturing team. The engineer will own the full material lifecycle for metallic additive-manufactured components, from feedstock qualification through post-processing and failure analysis, and contribute to the materials qualification program supporting eVTOL development, certification, and production. The role combines hands-on laboratory work with cross-functional collaboration and requires expertise in relationships among microstructure, processing, and properties in aerospace alloys. The position is onsite in Marina, California.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science degree and at least 5 years of industry experience in metallic materials characterization, processing, or manufacturing engineering; alternatively, a Master of Science degree and at least 3 years of relevant industry experience.
Working knowledge of metallic powder characteristics, handling, and qualification.
Familiarity with one or more metal additive manufacturing processes.
Experience with common materials characterization techniques, such as microscopy, hardness testing, and mechanical testing.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to author specifications and present to cross-functional stakeholders.
Ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment and meet program deadlines.
Ability to work onsite in Marina, California.

Nice To Haves

Ph.D. in Materials Science, Metallurgical Engineering, or a related field.
At least 5 years of experience in a controlled or certified manufacturing environment, such as AS9100 or NADCAP.
Hands-on experience with the full powder lifecycle, including atomization, sieving, morphology assessment, reuse qualification, and disposal.
Practical knowledge of additive-manufacturing surface finishing and its effect on fatigue life and dimensional compliance.
Experience with additive-manufacturing-specific defects, including porosity, lack of fusion, keyhole voids, residual stress, and anisotropy.
Familiarity with X-ray CT for additive-manufacturing defect and dimensional inspection.
Prior experience authoring material and process specifications in regulated aerospace environments.
Exposure to fatigue or fracture testing, allowables generation, or FAA certification data packages.

Responsibilities

Own incoming qualification and lot acceptance of metallic feedstocks, including particle size distribution, morphology, chemistry, flowability, and density.
Develop and maintain feedstock control procedures aligned with additive manufacturing process requirements.
Characterize powder degradation and establish reuse limits, blending protocols, and out-of-life criteria.
Manage powder suppliers, including acceptance specifications, source approvals, and non-conformances.
Define and qualify additive-manufacturing surface-finishing processes, including tumbling, vibratory finishing, electropolishing, chemical etching, shot peening, and precision machining.
Characterize surface roughness, residual stress, and subsurface microstructure before and after finishing.
Qualify coatings and surface treatments for corrosion, wear, and fatigue requirements.
Establish acceptance criteria and inspection methods for finished additive-manufactured surfaces.
Identify and qualify heat-treatment processes for additive-manufactured parts, including stress relief, hot isostatic pressing, solution treatment, and aging.
Investigate coupon- and component-level failures, perform fracture analysis, and drive corrective actions.
Author material and process specifications covering feedstock, build parameters, post-processing, and acceptance criteria.
Support materials allowables and design-allowable data packages for FAA certification.
Partner with stress, design, and quality teams on material inputs, qualification packages, and material review board dispositions.