Manufacturing and Materials Engineer/Specialist

Manufacturing & Materials Engineer / Specialist – Propulsion

About the Company

Our client is an innovative aerospace company developing a new orbital launch vehicle and associated propulsion systems.

The organisation brings together experienced engineers from leading aerospace, space, propulsion and advanced manufacturing companies.

Its mission is to develop a reliable and scalable launch capability, with an engineering philosophy focused on practical design, proven technologies, rapid development and extensive hardware testing.

The company is well funded and is expanding its engineering team as it progresses through engine and vehicle development.

About the Role

We are looking for a Manufacturing & Materials Engineer / Specialist to support the development and production of advanced propulsion hardware.

The position will be responsible for the selection, qualification and control of metallic materials and manufacturing processes, helping turn engineering designs into reliable, production-ready hardware.

Sitting at the intersection of materials science, design engineering, manufacturing, quality, production and supply chain, this individual will support material selection, process development, fabrication planning, producibility, inspection and failure investigation.

You will work closely with propulsion, turbomachinery, mechanical and fluids engineers to select and qualify metallic materials, develop fabrication methods, establish process controls and resolve manufacturing challenges as hardware progresses from development into production.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and execute materials and manufacturing strategies for complex propulsion hardware.
• Support material selection, process development, fabrication planning, producibility and industrialisation.
• Develop and maintain material specifications, process specifications, qualification plans and associated workflows.
• Characterise and evaluate metallic material behaviour relevant to design and manufacturing.
• Develop, optimise, qualify and control fabrication and manufacturing processes.
• Develop manufacturing plans, travellers, work instructions, build sequences and process flows.
• Lead or support Design for Manufacture (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) activities.
• Work closely with design engineers to ensure hardware concepts align with manufacturing capability, material availability and production constraints.
• Support the development and maturation of critical manufacturing methods.
• Work with operations and supply-chain teams to identify and qualify suppliers for raw materials, forgings and fabricated components.
• Evaluate material pedigree, traceability, source availability, lead times, certifiability and scalability.
• Lead or support failure analysis and manufacturing investigations.
• Resolve production issues including non-conformances, rework, process escapes, yield issues and fabrication anomalies.
• Contribute to technical reviews, trade studies and development planning relating to materials, manufacturing methods, production scaling and hardware risk.

Required Experience

• Experience in manufacturing engineering, materials engineering or process engineering involving metallic aerospace hardware or another highly demanding hardware environment.
• Strong understanding of metallic material systems and alloys, including how product form, temper, heat treatment and processing history influence performance and manufacturability.
• Experience developing, supporting or optimising fabrication processes such as:
  • machining
  • welding
  • forming
  • joining
  • heat treatment
  • assembly
• Strong understanding of how manufacturing processes affect strength, fatigue performance, residual stress, distortion, crack initiation, dimensional control and inspectability.
• Experience developing manufacturing documentation such as process flows, work instructions, manufacturing plans and fabrication/build sequences.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing process capability, material behaviour and producibility.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with engineering, production, quality, operations and suppliers.
• Strong technical judgement with the ability to balance performance, manufacturability, schedule, scalability and cost.

Preferred Experience

• Experience with propulsion systems, launch vehicles, spacecraft, turbomachinery, pressure vessels, tanks, manifolds or other high-performance aerospace hardware.
• Experience working with aluminium alloys, nickel alloys, titanium or other aerospace metallic systems.
• Experience with welded assemblies, machined components, formed structures, manifolds, pressure-containing hardware or thermally demanding components.
• Experience developing or qualifying welding, brazing or other joining processes.
• Experience with both metal additive manufacturing and conventional machining/joining processes.
• Experience qualifying suppliers for metallic raw materials and specialist fabrication processes.
• Familiarity with NDT/NDE methods.
• Familiarity with aerospace quality and manufacturing frameworks such as AS9100, NASA, ECSS or equivalent standards.
• Bachelor’s or advanced degree in Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Aerospace Engineering or a related discipline.
• Professional engineering registration/licensure may be required where the individual assumes responsibility for engineering work affecting public safety.