Senior Materials & Processes Engineer

Xona Space Systems • Burlingame, CA

2d • $173,000 - $197,000

About The Position

Xona is the navigational intelligence company bringing real-time, centimeter-level certainty to any device, anywhere on Earth. With Pulsar – the world’s most advanced PNT satellite infrastructure in Low Earth Orbit – Xona will offer a future-proof, backwards-compatible global positioning system optimized for absolute precision, superior power, and robust protection.

Role Overview
We are seeking a senior, broadly capable Materials & Processes (M&P) engineer to own the coatings, materials, finishes, joining methods, and manufacturing-process standards that support our spacecraft programs—from early development through qualification and production. This is a high-impact technical role for an engineer who combines deep materials judgment with a practical, hands-on approach to spacecraft hardware. You will develop material-selection and process-control strategies, define qualification and acceptance approaches, solve material and manufacturing problems, and work directly with design, manufacturing, test, quality, suppliers, and external laboratories. Initial priorities include building high-confidence internal capability for spacecraft coatings and finishes—including a production-transferable white-paint process—alongside polymerics/adhesives, thermal interface materials, and mechanical-joint characterization. More broadly, you will define how Xona selects, qualifies, documents, and controls materials and processes across its spacecraft programs. No candidate is expected to be the foremost expert in every specialty. We are looking for an exceptionally strong M&P engineer with meaningful experience in several relevant areas and the technical curiosity to lead across the remainder.

Requirements

• BS or MS in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related field.
• Significant experience in materials and processes, manufacturing/process engineering, materials qualification, or reliability engineering for aerospace, space, defense, aviation, automotive, medical-device, semiconductor, or other high-reliability hardware.
• Demonstrated experience taking a material or manufacturing process from development through qualification, documentation, and production implementation.
• Strong practical experience in multiple relevant areas, such as coatings/finishes, polymerics/adhesives, thermal interface materials, mechanical joints/fasteners, metals, ceramics, manufacturing processes, or environmental qualification.
• Experience designing and executing materials or process tests; interpreting data; and resolving failures, anomalies, or nonconformances.
• Experience authoring technical specifications, process instructions, qualification plans, test procedures, reports, and acceptance criteria.
• Ability to work directly with hardware, process equipment, suppliers, and test setups.
• Strong ownership, communication, organization, and cross-functional problem-solving skills.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with spacecraft M&P, including vacuum compatibility, contamination control, outgassing, thermal cycling, and environmental qualification.
• Experience developing or qualifying spacecraft coatings, paints, conversion coatings, plating, anodize, passivation, thermal-control films, or other surface treatments—including coating-process equipment or controlled application areas.
• Deep experience with structural or thermal adhesives, epoxies, silicones, sealants, potting compounds, thermal interface materials, gaskets, bonded joints, and polymeric-material qualification.
• Experience with bolted-joint characterization, torque-tension testing, lubricant selection, preload control, or friction testing.
• Familiarity with ceramic, refractory, thermal-control, or high-temperature material systems.
• Strong knowledge of statistical data analysis and reliability methods, including development or application of A-basis and B-basis allowable values, statistical process controls, and methods for demonstrating compliance with defined reliability targets.
• Experience evaluating die casting, molding, additive manufacturing, or other advanced/scalable production methods.
• Experience working with external suppliers and laboratories to develop process controls and qualification evidence.
• Experience with failure analysis or materials characterization techniques, such as microscopy, mechanical testing, spectroscopy, or contamination analysis.
• Experience in a startup or fast-moving hardware organization, with comfort balancing rigor, speed, and practical execution.

Responsibilities

• Develop and own spacecraft M&P standards, specifications, approved-material lists, process requirements, and qualification approaches.
• Define practical material-selection criteria that balance performance, reliability, environmental compatibility, manufacturability, cost, schedule, and production scalability.
• Establish traceability, handling, storage, shelf-life, lot-control, inspection, and acceptance requirements for critical materials and processes.
• Serve as the technical authority for M&P decisions during design reviews, qualification planning, anomaly investigations, supplier reviews, and production-readiness activities.
• Turn lessons learned from testing, manufacturing, and hardware anomalies into durable design and process standards.
• Guide the selection and qualification of spacecraft-relevant metals, coatings, finishes, thermal-control films, polymers, adhesives, sealants, potting compounds, thermal interface materials and gaskets, ceramics, refractory materials, lubricants, and related materials.
• Assess materials for spacecraft risks including vacuum compatibility, outgassing, contamination, thermal cycling, radiation, corrosion, aging, moisture sensitivity, flammability, and optical, thermal, or mechanical performance.
• Develop and execute material and process characterization or qualification tests, including test articles, methods, success criteria, instrumentation, and data analysis.
• Interpret test data, identify failure mechanisms, lead root-cause investigations, and drive corrective actions.
• Partner with thermal, mechanical, electrical, systems, and test teams to ensure materials decisions support spacecraft-level performance and verification.
• Develop spacecraft coating and surface-finish processes from evaluation through application, inspection, environmental validation, and manufacturing transfer.
• Lead development of an in-house, space-appropriate white-paint capability, including material selection, surface preparation, application, cure, inspection, documentation, and production handoff.
• Establish requirements and qualification methods for polymeric systems—including structural and thermal adhesives, epoxies, silicones, primers, sealants, potting compounds, thermal interface materials, gaskets, and bonded joints—covering surface preparation, cure control, inspection, thermal performance, and durability.
• Support selection, application, and qualification of thermal-control surface materials, including films or stickers such as silverized Teflon, as applicable to spacecraft thermal and environmental requirements.
• Characterize bolted-joint friction, lubrication, torque-tension behavior, preload retention, and assembly controls; establish standardized practices for reliable mechanical joints.
• Support material and process trades involving ceramics, refractory or high-temperature materials, and specialized thermal or structural materials as spacecraft needs evolve.
• Evaluate and mature flight-hardware manufacturing processes, including coating, bonding, molding, die casting, and other advanced or scalable fabrication methods.
• Partner with design and manufacturing teams to ensure parts and assemblies are designed for reliable processing, inspection, and production.
• Work with suppliers, processors, external test labs, and manufacturing partners to review process controls, specifications, quality plans, nonconformances, and qualification evidence.
• Create clear process specifications, work instructions, inspection criteria, training materials, and acceptance documentation suitable for production handoff.
• Help establish scalable, high-reliability M&P practices as spacecraft production increases.
• Collaborate with mechanical, thermal, electrical, systems, manufacturing, quality, integration, and test teams throughout the hardware-development lifecycle.
• Provide clear technical recommendations that communicate risks, assumptions, test evidence, and practical next steps.
• Support environmental test campaigns and use test data to validate material and process decisions.
• Mentor engineers and technicians on material handling, process execution, inspection, contamination awareness, and M&P best practices.
• Drive complex, ambiguous technical work to closure in a fast-paced, multidisciplinary environment.

Benefits

• We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

What This Job Offers

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