Job details

Materials Scientist

The Aerospace Corporation is the trusted partner to the nation’s space programs, solving the hardest problems and providing unmatched technical expertise. As the operator of a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), we are broadly engaged across all aspects of space— delivering innovative solutions that span satellite, launch, ground, and cyber systems for defense, civil and commercial customers. When you join our team, you’ll be part of a special collection of problem solvers, thought leaders, and innovators. Join us and take your place in space.

At Aerospace, we are committed to providing an inclusive and diverse workplace for all employees to share in our common passion and aspiration – to carry out a mission much bigger than ourselves.

Job Summary

The Aerospace Physical Sciences Laboratories (PSL) is a diverse scientific organization that provides a broad and innovative research and development backplane for a growing space enterprise. PSL’s impact is grown through a diverse research portfolio that blends foundational scientific research with cutting-edge technology development to serve a broad customer base. PSL’s exclusive ability to work with all stakeholders: (government, industry, and academia) enables us to provide novel solutions to the most challenging issues in current and future technology applications. The strength of PSL comes from the combination of cutting-edge tools and facilities, a vast repository of space-system knowledge, and the extensive technical expertise of our people. We harness these tools and expertise in over 150 different laboratories to tackle the new challenges for the space enterprise.

The Materials Science Department (MSD) is looking to hire a Materials Scientist or Materials Engineer with specific expertise in materials for high temperature environments. The MSD is located in Aerospace’s Space Materials Laboratory (SML) and develops, innovates, and enables new materials and ideas for the space industry. This hands-on role and will require physical presence in laboratory to design, set up, and perform experiments.

This is a full-time position located 100% onsite in El Segundo, CA.

Highlights of our lab's capabilities can be seen here:

Department Virtual Tour

What You’ll Be Doing

Leading research projects and setting up the design of the experiments
Employing advanced materials characterization and testing techniques
Characterizing and identifying degradation modes and approaches for improving the lifetime of high temperature material systems
Assessing the thermomechanical properties of high temperature materials
Participating in Materials Science related work such as conducting failure analysis, fractographic studies, thermal analysis, among others
Communicating technical assessments and experimental results to specialist and non-specialist audience
Responsibilities include supporting research on internally or externally funded programs and providing technical support to Department of Defense (DoD) and non-DoD customers

What You Need to be Successful

Minimum Requirements:

Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Materials Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Physics, Chemistry or related fields is required
2 years of applicable professional experience is required
Knowledge in the utilization of advanced materials characterization and testing techniques
Experience in leading research projects and setting up the design of the experiments
Hands-on engineering skills and working familiarity with test equipment, test setup and design, and statistical data analysis
Ability to work within cross functional project teams with strong desire to contribute to ongoing research with academic and industry collaboration partners
Demonstrate the ability to develop, communicate and present data, progress reports and technical material to all levels of employees including senior management (both internal and external)
Being able to identify technology trends in advanced ceramics, refractory metals or related topics and develop technical roadmaps to address them
Willingness to occasionally travel and to work off-business hours to support customer needs, approximately 10% (as required)
This position requires ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance, which is issued by the U.S. government. U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance.

How You Can Stand Out

It would be impressive if you have one or more of these:

PhD in Materials Science, Materials Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Physics, Chemistry or related fields is strongly preferred
5 years of relevant research experience
Experience developing high temperature materials, for example: Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC), Carbon/Carbon (C/C), refractory metals, ablative coatings, and/or high temperature alloys
Ability to characterize and identify degradation modes and approaches for improving the lifetime of high temperature material systems
Familiarity with computational approaches to obtain thermodynamic properties of materials
Experience characterizing advanced high temperature materials
Familiarity with fabrication techniques to generate high temperature alloys, ceramics and/or coatings

We offer a competitive compensation package where you’ll be rewarded based on your performance and recognized for the value you bring to our business. The grade-based pay range for this job is listed below. Individual salaries within that range are determined through a wide variety of factors including but not limited to education, experience, knowledge and skills.

(Min - Mid - Max)

$70,000 - $105,000 - $130,000

Pay Basis: Annual

Ways We Reward Our Employees

During your interview process, our team will provide details of our industry-leading benefits.

Benefits vary and are applicable based on Job Type. A few highlights include:

Comprehensive health care and wellness plans
Paid holidays, sick time, and vacation
Standard and alternate work schedules, including telework options
401(k) Plan — Employees receive a total company-paid benefit of 8%, 10%, or 12% of eligible compensation based on years of service and matching contributions; employees are immediately eligible and vested in the plan upon hire
Flexible spending accounts
Variable pay program for exceptional contributions
Relocation assistance
Professional growth and development programs to help advance your career
Education assistance programs
An inclusive work environment built on teamwork, flexibility, and respect

We are all unique, from diverse backgrounds and all walks of life, yet one thing bonds all of us to each other—the belief that we can make a difference. This core belief empowers us to do our best work at The Aerospace Corporation.

Equal Opportunity Commitment

The Aerospace Corporation is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. We believe that a diverse workforce creates an environment in which unique ideas are developed and differing perspectives are valued, producing superior customer solutions. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, color, religion, genetic information, marital status, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, physical disability, medical condition, mental disability, or disability status and any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. If you’re an individual with a disability or a disabled veteran who needs assistance using our online job search and application tools or need reasonable accommodation to complete the job application process, please contact us by phone at 310.336.5432 or by email at

ieo.mailbox@aero.org

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By The Aerospace Corporation

In an era of dynamic change in space, Aerospace is addressing a generation of complex challenges. We operate the only federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) committed exclusively to the space enterprise. Our technical experts spa...

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FUNDING

Other

INDUSTRY

Aerospace & Defense

TEAM SIZE

1001-5000

LOCATION

Hybrid, based in El Segundo, CA

DATE POSTED