Senior Materials Engineer — Metals Forming & Castings

Zoox; Foster City (CA); On-site; USD 187,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Stock options/RSUs

Paid time off

Job summary

Zoox in Foster City, CA seeks a Senior Materials Engineer to lead failure analysis, metallurgical investigations, and root-cause corrective actions across development, production, and field releases. You will own investigations end-to-end, perform SEM/EDS, metallography, and hardness testing, and collaborate with Design, Manufacturing, and Supplier Quality to drive robust solutions.

The role requires 8+ years in materials/metallurgy, strong writing and presentation skills, and mentoring of

Qualifications

• 8+ years in materials engineering, failure analysis or metallurgy.
• Hands-on metals expertise across forming, stamping and casting and their failure modes.
• Experience with mechanical testing (Instron/UTM) and failure-analysis techniques (fractography, SEM/EDS, metallography, hardness testing).
• Proven track record leading root-cause investigations and driving corrective actions with cross-functional teams.
• Knowledge of ASTM/ISO/SAE standards and ability to write/test specifications.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; able to present to leadership.
• Experience mentoring junior engineers or technicians.

Responsibilities

• Lead failure investigations for metallic components across development, production, and field releases.
• Advise on metal selection, process capability, and DFMEA/PFMEA for forming, stamping, and casting.
• Draft and maintain material and process specifications, quality acceptance criteria, and test procedures.
• Support supplier qualification and review PPAP submissions and material certifications.
• Manage lab test plans, calibration, SOPs, safety standards, and direct external vendor labs; mentor staff.

Skills

Failure analysis

Metallurgical expertise

Mechanical testing

Cross-functional collaboration

Technical writing

Mentoring

Project management

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Materials Science or Metallurgical/Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Instron/UTM systems

SEM/EDS

Metallography

Hardness testing

Job description

Zoox in Foster City, CA seeks a Senior Materials Engineer to lead failure analysis, metallurgical investigations, and root-cause corrective actions across development, production, and field releases. You will own investigations end-to-end, perform SEM/EDS, metallography, and hardness testing, and collaborate with Design, Manufacturing, and Supplier Quality to drive robust solutions.

The role requires 8+ years in materials/metallurgy, strong writing and presentation skills, and mentoring of