Materials Engineer

IOM3 (Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining); Greater London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

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Relocation support

Job summary

IOM3 (Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining) seeks a Materials Engineer to own materials selection, testing and failure analysis for our direct air capture system. The role focuses on high-temperature kilns and lime-processing equipment, covering refractories, ceramics, heating elements, coatings, and materials across metals, sorbents, and alloys.

You will break down unclear problems from first principles, define tests, analyse results, and translate findings into clear engineering

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of high-temperature materials, ceramics, refractories, corrosion, sintering, thermal shock and chemical compatibility.
• Experience with kilns, furnaces, lime, cement, ceramics, glass, thermochemical processing or similarly harsh high-temperature systems.
• Ability to independently lead technical workstreams from a poorly defined problem to a clear recommendation.
• Ability to define practical validation tests and interpret materials characterisation data.
• Strong first-principles reasoning - diagnose failures from evidence.
• Comfortable engaging with suppliers, consultants, manufacturers and research organisations.

Responsibilities

• Own materials selection, testing and failure analysis across the direct air capture system.
• Lead technical workstreams from problem to recommendation.
• Define tests, analyse results and turn into clear engineering decisions.
• Work with process, mechanical, electrical and operations teams to ensure materials survive operating conditions and scale.

Skills

High-temperature materials

Ceramics & refractories

Materials failure analysis

First-principles reasoning

Materials validation testing

Cross-functional collaboration

Written technical communication

Education

PhD or postdoc (valuable)

Tools

XRD

SEM/EDS

XRF

Microscopy

TGA/DSC

Job description

Closing date - Salary £60-90k Salary depending on experience

We are looking for a Materials Engineer to own materials selection, testing and failure analysis across our direct air capture system.

The role will be heavily focused on our high-temperature kiln and lime-processing equipment. You will work on refractories, ceramics, heating elements, coatings, metals, alloys and sorbent-contacting materials.

You will be expected to take unclear materials problems, break them down from first principles, define the right tests, analyse the results, and turn them into clear engineering decisions.

This is a hands-on engineering role, not a purely academic one. You will work closely with process, mechanical, electrical and operations teams to make sure the materials we choose survive real operating conditions and can scale.

Core Skills

• Strong understanding of high-temperature materials, ceramics, refractories, corrosion, sintering, thermal shock and chemical compatibility.
• Experience working with kilns, furnaces, lime, cement, ceramics, glass, thermochemical processing or similarly harsh high-temperature systems.
• Ability to independently lead technical workstreams from a poorly defined problem to a clear recommendation.
• Ability to define practical validation tests and interpret materials characterisation data.
• Strong first-principles reasoning - You should be able to look at a failed component, deposit, coating or refractory and work out what evidence is needed to understand the failure.
• Comfortable engaging with suppliers, consultants, manufacturers and research organisations.
• Able to balance performance, cost, lead time, manufacturability, reliability and scale-up risk.
• Clear written communication. We need concise technical recommendations, not open-ended reports.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with refractory selection, installation methods, coatings or hot-face materials.
• Experience with SiC heating elements, protective glazes, electric furnaces or high-temperature heating systems.
• Experience with lime, cement, calcination, carbonation, sorbents or thermochemical cycling.
• Experience with XRD, SEM/EDS, XRF, microscopy, TGA/DSC or other materials characterisation techniques.
• Experience with equilibrium modelling or phase chemistry tools such as FactSage, Thermo-Calc, HSC Chemistry, CALPHAD or similar.
• Experience taking materials decisions from lab testing through to pilot or production hardware.
• A PhD or postdoc in materials science, ceramics, metallurgy, chemical engineering or a related field would be valuable, but is not required - We care more about capability than credentials.

Specifics:

• £60-90k Salary depending on experience
• Share options as part of the early team
• Extensive relocation support, including £6000 per year extra to live close to our HQ
• In-person work at our HQ in Bermondsey, South-East London – flexibility considered based on personal circumstances