Principal Polymers Engineer — Space-Grade Materials

United States Digital Space LLC; Bastrop (TX); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Starlink is seeking a Principal Materials Engineer, Polymers to drive polymer materials development and qualification for Starlink products. You will lead testing, characterization and the scale-up of injection-molded components from prototype to production, working with design engineers and technicians to satisfy performance and cost targets.

The role requires a doctoral or master's level background, 10+ years in polymers, and extensive material characterization expertise.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in materials science or an engineering discipline.
• 10+ years of experience with characterizing, testing, and evaluating the performance of thermoplastics, elastomers, and/or adhesives.

Responsibilities

• Development, test and performance evaluation of polymeric materials used across various Starlink products
• Support polymer selection and implementation by collaborating with design engineers to establish required design inputs for ensuring a cost-effective and reliable mass consumer electronic
• Collaborate with other engineers, subject matter experts, and technicians to solve complex material and processing challenges on our current and next generation products
• Lead successful scale-up from prototype to production of relevant injection molded parts
• Engage in root cause failure investigations as a subject matter expert for failure mechanisms

Skills

Polymer processing

Polymer characterization

Material selection

Failure analysis

Scale-up to production

Education

Bachelor's degree in materials science or engineering

Master's degree or PhD in materials science or polymer engineering

Tools

SEM-EDS

FTIR

DSC

TGA

Rheometer

Optical microscopy

Hardness testing

Job description

Starlink is seeking a Principal Materials Engineer, Polymers to drive polymer materials development and qualification for Starlink products. You will lead testing, characterization and the scale-up of injection-molded components from prototype to production, working with design engineers and technicians to satisfy performance and cost targets.

The role requires a doctoral or master's level background, 10+ years in polymers, and extensive material characterization expertise.