Staff Ceramics Materials Engineer - Quality & Scale-Up

Tempo Innovations; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 148,000 - 162,000; Full time

Job summary

Tempo is seeking a Staff Materials Engineer in San Diego to lead complex ceramic materials development and quality initiatives across R&D, manufacturing, and supplier networks. The role combines deep ceramics expertise with ownership of QA/QC systems, process control strategies, and scale-up readiness while mentoring engineers and driving continuous improvement.

You will define CTQs, lead supplier audits, investigate failures such as cracking and thermal shock, and partner with teams to ensure

Qualifications

• MS in Ceramics Engineering, Materials Science, or a similar discipline.
• 5–10 years of hands-on experience with formulations, characterization, and analysis.
• Experience implementing QA/QC systems in ceramic or refractory manufacturing environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead material development with targeted electro/thermo-physical properties.
• Establish QA/QC for ceramic materials, components, and processes.
• Lead supplier qualification and audits for ceramics.
• Investigate cracking, creep, thermal shock, and related failures.
• Define quality requirements for pilot and commercial-scale manufacturing.

Skills

Ceramics processing

Sintering

Quality engineering

Failure analysis

Supplier qualification

Education

MS in Ceramics Engineering, Materials Science, or similar discipline

Tools

SEM

XRD

Microscopy

Thermal analysis

Mechanical testing

Job description

Tempo is seeking a Staff Materials Engineer in San Diego to lead complex ceramic materials development and quality initiatives across R&D, manufacturing, and supplier networks. The role combines deep ceramics expertise with ownership of QA/QC systems, process control strategies, and scale-up readiness while mentoring engineers and driving continuous improvement.

You will define CTQs, lead supplier audits, investigate failures such as cracking and thermal shock, and partner with teams to ensure