Materials Engineer, Polymer Development

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP; Hawthorne, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock/incentives

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Medical, vision and dental coverage

401(k) retirement plan

Paid parental leave

Paid vacation and holidays

Sick leave

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking a Materials Engineer to lead end‑to‑end development of advanced polymeric materials for spacecraft hardware. You will partner with engineers to define targets, drive formulation, and coordinate testing across labs to ensure reliable production scale‑up.

The role requires hands‑on experience in polymer chemistries, materials formulation, and mentoring technicians, with opportunities to contribute to a broad range of adhesives, paints, coatings, and emulsions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Polymer Science, Materials Science and Engineering.
• 2+ years of professional experience in polymeric material formulation, chemical synthesis, polymer chemistry or a non-metallic materials engineering role.
• Master’s degree or PhD in Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Polymer Science, Materials Science and Engineering or a related discipline.

Responsibilities

• Partner with engineers to define material requirements, translate design criteria into technical targets, and provide clear progress updates.
• Own technical decision-making throughout development, selecting pathways delivering materials meeting design requirements.
• Investigate and resolve material failures or unexpected results, turning issues into actionable learnings.
• Act as a technical expert and project owner for polymeric material development efforts.
• Guide and mentor project specialists and technicians in formulation, testing, and process development work.
• Collaborate with engineering and production teams to ensure new materials are integrated into production.
• Lead the iterative development cycle by designing experiments, analyzing data, and defining next actions.
• Drive materials development projects from concept through qualification and scale-up.
• Coordinate with laboratories to plan testing and interpretation of results.
• Support process scale-up and manufacturability improvements for high-volume production.
• Maintain thorough technical documentation of development decisions and data.

Skills

Polymer formulation

Adhesives & coatings

Material testing

Cross-functional collaboration

Technical ownership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry/Polymer Science

Master’s or PhD preferred

Tools

FTIR

TGA

DSC

NMR

GPC

Job description

SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal ofenabling human life on Mars.

MATERIALS ENGINEER, POLYMER DEVELOPMENT

The Polymer Development Materials Engineer will participate in/lead the end-to-end development of advanced polymeric materials. In this role you will develop new material solutions such as adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings, thermal protection materials, and emulsions for use across SpaceX’s hardware programs. You will partner closely with customers to define design criteria and performance requirements, drive formulation and process development, coordinate testing with materials laboratories, collaborate with engineering teams on implementation, and work with production teams to successfully scale materials into manufacturing. This position requires strong technical ownership, cross-functional collaboration, and the ability to deliver high-performance materials that meet demanding programmatic needs.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Partner with engineers to define material requirements, translate design criteria into technical targets, and provide clear progress updates
• Own technical decision-making throughout the development process, selecting and refining pathways that deliver materials meeting or exceeding design requirements
• Investigate and resolve material failures or unexpected results, turning issues into actionable learnings that accelerate project progress
• Act as a technical expert and project owner for polymeric material development efforts
• Guide and mentor project specialists and technicians in executing formulation, testing, and process development work
• Collaborate closely with engineering and production teams to ensure new materials are successfully integrated into production work centers
• Lead the iterative development cycle by designing efficient experiments, analyzing data, drawing conclusions, and defining the next set of actions
• Drive materials development projects from initial concept through full qualification and production scale-up
• Coordinate with materials laboratories to plan, prioritize, and interpret characterization and performance testing
• Work with production and manufacturing teams to support process scale-up, improve manufacturability, and enable reliable high-volume production
• Maintain thorough technical documentation of development decisions, test results, and qualification data

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Polymer Science, Materials Science and Engineering
• 2+ years of professional experience in polymeric material formulation, chemical synthesis, polymer chemistry or a non-metallic materials engineering role

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Master’s degree or PhD in Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Polymer Science, Materials Science and Engineering or a related discipline
• Deep understanding of organic and polymer chemistries
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent projects with clear schedules and deliverables
• Strong engineering judgment and self-motivation with a track record of driving projects independently
• Experience in R&D pertaining to non-metallic materials (adhesives, paints, coatings, seals, emulsions, etc)
• Experience designing polymeric materials, manufacturing polymeric materials, and/or translating developed materials to production.
• Demonstrated ability to perform root cause analysis on test data, equipment issues, or process deviations
• Experience mentoring lab technicians or specialists
• Hands-on experience with analytical equipment such as FTIR, TGA, DSC, DMA, TMA, TPS, NMR, UV-Vis, GPC, GC, MS or similar

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay Range:
Level 1: $100,000.00 - $130,000.00
Level 2: $115,000.00 - $160,000.00

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock or long-term cash awards, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law.

• To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here .

SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s affirmatives plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out [e-mail].