Staff Materials Engineer, PVD/Coatings – Wearables & Electronics

United States Digital Space LLC; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 198,000 - 268,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and equity packages

Health, dental, vision insurance

Job summary

United States Digital Space LLC is seeking a visionary and technically strong Staff Materials Engineer to lead the development and advancement of material technologies that are core to our product experience. This role will focus on metal surface treatments, PVD/CVD, platings and other novel inorganic coating materials to ensure performance and premium user experience across hardware platforms.

You will manage a roadmap for materials engineering, drive R&D and supplier collaboration, define

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field required.
• 10+ years in materials engineering of PVD/CVD and metal surface treatments.
• Experience developing materials for consumer electronics, medical devices, or wearables.
• Strong background in materials characterization, surface chemistry, and process development.
• Experience working with contract manufacturers and materials suppliers globally.

Responsibilities

• Manage a roadmap for materials engineering across metal surface treatments, PVD/CVD, platings and emerging technologies.
• Drive R&D and materials selection for current and next-gen products balancing form factor, performance, biocompatibility, manufacturability, and sustainability.
• Establish and optimize material and bonding processes for high-volume manufacturing.
• Partner with PD, ID, and Ops to integrate materials solutions early in product development.
• Define standardized materials testing and coupons to characterize new and existing materials.
• Work with external vendors and strategic partners to evaluate new materials and coatings and ensure scalability.
• Define and oversee materials validation, characterization, and reliability testing methods.
• Collaborate with Reliability and Regulatory teams to ensure material compliance and performance.
• Identify and mitigate material risks across the product lifecycle.

Skills

Materials engineering

PVD/CVD

Metal surface treatments

Biocompatibility

Supplier management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering

Job description

United States Digital Space LLC is seeking a visionary and technically strong Staff Materials Engineer to lead the development and advancement of material technologies that are core to our product experience. This role will focus on metal surface treatments, PVD/CVD, platings and other novel inorganic coating materials to ensure performance and premium user experience across hardware platforms.

You will manage a roadmap for materials engineering, drive R&D and supplier collaboration, define