Research Engineer Sr Stf - E5

Lockheed Martin; Grand Prairie (TX); On-site; USD 148,000 - 276,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

Flexible work arrangements (e.g., 4x10

401(k) match

Paid time off

Holidays

Parental Leave

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Education Assistance

Life Insurance

Short-Term Disability

Long-Term Disability

Job summary

Lockheed Martin in Grand Prairie, TX and Orlando, FL is seeking a Senior Staff Research Engineer to lead emergent additive manufacturing technologies, guiding material and process development from concept through production transitions.

You will drive digital manufacturing integration, apply AI/ML for in-situ monitoring and design optimization, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver mission-critical AM capabilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Materials Science, or related field.
• Significant experience in additive manufacturing technologies.
• Experience working with low-to-mid TRL technologies.
• Strong understanding of materials, manufacturing processes, and engineering fundamentals.
• Ability to lead technical efforts and influence cross-functional teams.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate across stakeholders, including engineering, manufacturing, and leadership.
• Must be able to obtain a Secret security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead identification, evaluation, and maturation of emerging AM materials, processes, and digital technologies across low-to-mid TRLs.
• Identify and evaluate new material systems for AM, including metals, polymers, ceramics, and multifunctional materials.
• Advance new alloys for established AM processes.
• Support development of novel advanced materials for next-generation applications and to address future production needs.
• Evaluate and mature alternative AM processes (binder jetting, DED, hybrid manufacturing, resin-based sintering with debind-and-sin workflows).
• Develop understanding of process-structure-property relationships.
• Assess scalability and transition potential for production environments.
• Identify emerging technologies across industry, academia, and national labs; assess maturity and strategical relevance.
• Develop business cases based on technical value, manufacturability, cost, schedule, and transition potential.
• Recommend investment priorities aligned to Lockheed Martin needs.
• Partner with program teams to transition technologies into real applications.
• Support early qualification and risk reduction strategies.
• Enable enterprise-wide adoption across multiple business areas.
• Drive adoption of advanced AM software ecosystems including design tools, MES/workflow platforms, data analytics.
• Develop a digital thread from design through production.
• Identify and apply AI/ML approaches in in-situ monitoring, generative design, and materials discovery.
• Collaborate with internal AI/ML teams to accelerate innovation.

Skills

Additive manufacturing

TRLs

Materials science

Engineering fundamentals

Cross-functional leadership

Collaboration with stakeholders

Security clearance

AI/ML in manufacturing

Digital manufacturing

Technology scouting

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Materials Science, or related field

Graduate degree in Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or related discipline

Job description

Standard Job Description

Emerging Additive Manufacturing Technologies Research Engineer

Grand Prairie, Texas OR Orlando, Florida

Description

You will be the Senior Staff Research Engineer for the Missiles and Fire Control (MFC) team. Our team is responsible for identifying, developing, and transitioning next-generation additive manufacturing technologies to enable future mission-critical systems across Lockheed Martin.

What You Will Be Doing

As the Senior Staff Research Engineer, you will lead the identification, evaluation, and maturation of emerging additive manufacturing materials, processes, and digital technologies spanning low-to-mid Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs).

Your Responsibilities Will Include, But Are Not Limited To

Emerging Materials Development

• Identify and evaluate new material systems for additive manufacturing, including metals, polymers, ceramics, and multifunctional materials
• Advance new alloys for established additive manufacturing processes
• Support development of novel advanced materials for next-generation applications and to address future production needs

Emerging Process Development

• Evaluate and mature alternative additive manufacturing processes (e.g., binder jetting, DED, hybrid manufacturing, resin-based sintering / vat photopolymerization with debind-and-sinter workflows, and other emerging methods)
• Develop understanding of process-structure-property relationships
• Assess scalability and transition potential for production environments

Technology Scouting & Strategy

• Identify emerging technologies across industry, academia, and national laboratories
• Assess technical maturity, manufacturability, and strategic relevance
• Evaluate emerging technologies and candidate applications to develop strong business cases based on technical value, manufacturability, cost, schedule, and transition potential
• Recommend investment priorities aligned to Lockheed Martin needs

Transition to Application

• Partner with program teams to transition technologies into real applications
• Support early qualification and risk reduction strategies
• Enable enterprise-wide adoption across multiple business areas

Digital Manufacturing & Software Integration

• Drive adoption of advanced AM software ecosystems including:
  • Computational design tools
  • MES/workflow platforms
  • Data analytic platforms
• Support development of a digital thread from design through production

AI-Driven Manufacturing Innovation

• Identify and apply AI/ML approaches in:
  • In-situ monitoring and qualification
  • Generative design and optimization
  • Materials discovery and predictive modelling
• Collaborate with internal AI/ML teams to accelerate innovation

Why Join Us

You will help define the future of additive manufacturing at Lockheed Martin. This role provides the opportunity to influence enterprise-wide technology strategy and transition cutting-edge innovations into real-world defense applications.

MUST BE A U.S. CITIZEN

This position requires the ability to obtain a Secret clearance.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Materials Science, or related field
• Significant experience in additive manufacturing technologies
• Experience working with low-to-mid TRL technologies
• Strong understanding of materials, manufacturing processes, and engineering fundamentals
• Ability to lead technical efforts and influence cross-functional teams
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate and influence across a broad range of stakeholders, including engineering teams, manufacturing personnel, and senior leadership
• Must be able to obtain a Secret security clearance

Desired Skills

• Graduate degree in Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or related discipline
• Experience across multiple AM modalities (metals, polymers, ceramics, etc.)
• Background in additive materials development or process development
• Experience with digital manufacturing ecosystems and software integration
• Familiarity with AI/ML applications in manufacturing or materials science
• Experience influencing technology strategy at an organizational level
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts across diverse audiences (technicians to executives)
• Proven ability to build partnerships across organizations and drive alignment on emerging technology investments

Pay Information

Full-Time Salary Range: $148300.00 - $275500.00

At Lockheed Martin, we know mission success starts with taking care of our people. Our Total Rewards program is designed to attract top talent, support your well-being, and help you grow—both professionally and personally.

The salary range for this position is as listed on the requisition. Please note that the salary information listed is a general guideline only. Lockheed Martin considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education/ training, key skills as well as market(work location) and business considerations when extending an offer.

Benefits offered:

Medical, Dental, Vision, Flexible work arrangements and schedules (e.g., 4x10), 401(k) match, Paid time off, Holidays, Parental Leave, EAP, Flexible Spending Accounts, Education Assistance, Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, and Long-Term Disability.

• Annual short-term and/or long-term incentive compensation programs may be offered depending on the position. Payments under these annual programs are not guaranteed and can vary from year to year and are tied to a range of performance metrics.
• For (Washington state applicants only) Non-represented full-time employees: accrue at least 10 hours per month of Paid Time Off (PTO) to be used for incidental absences and other reasons; receive at least 90 hours for holidays. Represented full time employees accrue 6.67 hours of Vacation per month; accrue up to 52 hours of sick leave annually; receive at least 96 hours for holidays. PTO, Vacation, sick leave, and holiday hours are prorated based on start date during the calendar year.