Director, Materials Science Department

Tribonet; El Segundo (CA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care

401(k) plan

Relocation assistance

Education assistance

Telework options

Inclusive work environment

Competitive compensation

Job summary

The Aerospace Corporation’s Materials Science Department seeks a visionary leader to guide a growing staff and new R&D horizons. You will develop multidisciplinary teams, drive capabilities for space missions, and manage resources to meet evolving customer needs.

Reporting to the Director, you will cultivate collaborations across government, industry, and academia, while advancing materials science across metals, ceramics, polymers, composites, and additive manufacturing.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field and/or Materials Science or related technical discipline.
• (12) or more years of progressively responsible professional engineering/scientific research experience.
• Experience in materials science, metals, ceramics, polymers, composites, additive manufacturing, materials physics, or NDE.
• Ability to engage with customers and collaborators on materials issues.
• Proven ability to lead and execute cross-organizational strategies.

Responsibilities

• Provide people and organizational leadership, mentoring staff and managing performance.
• Hire, train, and mentor a growing staff for technical, programmatic, and customer leadership.
• Manage departmental resources and laboratory budgets and investments.
• Develop integrated strategies unifying materials R&D across the space enterprise.
• Cultivate relationships with collaborators and customers to address challenges.
• Manage a diverse portfolio of cutting‑edge research aligned to national security space programs.
• Work with customers and staff to develop product delivery goals and commitments.
• Collaborate with Project Management, Facilities, and Supply Chain.

Skills

Materials science

Leadership

Customer engagement

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in STEM or Materials Science

Job description

An educational platform on tribology — the science of friction, wear and lubrication

Who is it for

Engineers, researchers, students and industry professionals

Dice is the leading career destination for tech experts at every stage of their careers. Our client, Aerospace Corporation, is seeking the following.

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 ( MS D ) research plays a critical role in space materials R&D in collaboration with academia, industry and government customers. The Director, Materials Science Department will serve as the visionary leader and people manager to facilitate a growing staff and new R&D horizons.This leader will build and shape integrated, multidisciplinary teams to support a growing variety of customer and collaborators while developing the new capabilities necessary to meet future demand and technology needs.

The Materials Science Department performs innovative research and development in the fields of:

• Materials Science
• Metals
• Ceramics
• Polymers
• Composites
• Additive Manufacturing
• Materials Physics
• NDE

This full-time position will be located 100% onsite in El Segundo, CA.

Highlights of our lab’s capabilities can be seen here

Aerospace Virtual Tours

What You'll Be Doing

• You will provide People and Organizational leadership including mentoring staff, career and performance management, as well as diversity initiatives
• S/he will hire, train, and mentor a growing staff for technical, programmatic, and customer leadership through active management and collaboration with other internal and external groups
• Managing departmental resources and operational budgets associated with laboratory budgets, capital investments, and staff resources
• Develop integrated strategies that unify material science R&D needs across the space enterprise and position Aerospace as a continued leader in current and new focus areas
• Cultivate relationships with collaborators and customers to facilitate understanding of existing and emerging challenges in their programs and develop R&D objectives around these challenges
• Manage a diverse portfolio of cutting-edge research matched to national security space programs and missions
• Work with customers and staff to develop product and delivery goals and commitments
• Work in collaboration with operational organizations such Project Management/Contract Office, Facilities, and Supply Chain

What You Need To Be Successful

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field and/or Materials Science or equivalent related technical discipline from a recognized institution
• (12) or more years of progressively responsible professional engineering/scientific research experience
• Experience in one or more of the following research topic areas: m aterials s cience, metals, ceramics, polymers, composites, additive manufacturing, materials physics, or NDE
• Ability to technically engage with customers and collaborators on material issues
• Proven ability to lead and work outside your personal expertise to cultivate and execute collaborative cross-organizational strategies
• Strong leadership, people management, collaboration, interpersonal and communication skills
• Willingness to occasionally travel to support customer needs, approximately 15% (as required)
• This position requires the 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:

• Advanced degree in a STEM field and/or Materials Science or equivalent related technical discipline from a recognized institution
• Proven ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with all levels of contractors, customers, and corporate staff
• Substantial experience in a leadership role developing and implementing people and organizational strategies for a department or larger team
• Professional leadership across the material science community including academia, non-profit laboratories (FFRDC or similar), and industry groups
• Specific experience with tribology, contamination , and/or new R&D opportunities with converging technical fields
• Current and active TS/SCI security clearance, which is issued by the U.S. government is highly preferred. U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance.

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)

$150,000 – $170,000 – $225,000

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 or by email at . You can also review Know Your Rights : Workplace Discrimination is Illegal , as well as the Pay Transparency Policy Statement .