Materials & Process Engineer, Thermal Systems Lab Lead

Karman Industries; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Karman Industries, a Torrance-based thermal technology company, is seeking a Materials and Process Engineer to advance the Heat Processing Unit (HPU) development. You will identify materials, develop qualification campaigns, and establish internal processes and manufacturing methods, including brazing and welding, while working with a cross‑disciplinary team to scale hardware.

Join a fast-growing team focused on ownership and high-performance engineering, with opportunities to shape

Qualifications

• B.Sc./B.Eng. in materials science, materials engineering, mechanical engineering, or equivalent.
• 5+ years of experience in materials selection, qualification, or process development.
• Experience developing and executing material test and qualification campaigns.
• Familiarity with metal joining processes such as brazing and welding.
• Hands‑on experience with manufacturing process development.
• Self‑motivated / high performer, ability to self‑manage, multi‑task, and communicate excellently.

Responsibilities

• Identify and evaluate materials for use in our challenging applications.
• Design and execute material qualification campaigns.
• Develop internal processes including working with thermosets.
• Develop internal manufacturing processes including metal brazing and welding.
• Perform lab testing and characterization of welds, heat-treated materials, diffusion-bonded joints, and other processed materials.
• Stand up and own the materials lab end to end, from defining equipment and testing requirements through developing procedures and running day-to-day operations.
• Build out the materials discipline as the founding member of the materials group, establishing processes, standards, and best practices from the ground up.
• Work with a tightly knit team across disciplines to develop all aspects of the Karman Heat Processing Unit.
• Implement novel solutions to challenging problems, thinking outside the box and challenging the status quo.
• Develop analytical, physics-based (first principles) models to determine material performance and limitations.
• Analyze and implement compliance requirements for certification and applicable industry codes and standards.
• Hands‑on support of material and process integration on product skids.

Skills

Materials selection

Self‑motivation

Communication

Project management

Laboratory testing

Education

B.Sc./B.Eng. in materials science/engineering

Tools

ASME BPVC

ASME B31.1

ASME B31.3

Job description

Karman Industries, a Torrance-based thermal technology company, is seeking a Materials and Process Engineer to advance the Heat Processing Unit (HPU) development. You will identify materials, develop qualification campaigns, and establish internal processes and manufacturing methods, including brazing and welding, while working with a cross‑disciplinary team to scale hardware.

Join a fast-growing team focused on ownership and high-performance engineering, with opportunities to shape