Lead Materials & Process Engineer

As our Lead Materials & Process Engineer, you will lead the development, qualification, and continuous improvement of materials and manufacturing processes that enable reliable, high-quality, cost-effective products. Serve as the technical authority for materials and process engineering, connecting product design, manufacturing, quality, suppliers, and operations to ensure materials and processes are capable of meeting current and future product requirements. Drive technical solutions from concept and development through qualification, production, and continuous improvement while mentoring engineers and building organizational expertise.

LEAP is transforming space logistics with rapid-response, mass producible launch solutions designed to eliminate bottlenecks in space access. Leveraging proprietary propulsion technology and modern manufacturing techniques, LEAP delivers scalable and cost-effective, launch solutions for national security, commercial payload deployment, and global point-to-point logistics applications.

• Own the technical strategy for materials selection, material qualification, and manufacturing process development.
• Lead development and optimization of materials and processes to meet product performance, reliability, manufacturability, cost, and schedule requirements.
• Partner with Design Engineering to select materials and processes appropriate for product requirements and operating environments.
• Own material and process specifications, requirements, standards, design allowables and acceptance criteria.
• Lead material and process qualification, validation, and change-control activities.
• Lead root-cause investigations and failure analysis involving materials, manufacturing processes, and product performance.
• Provide technical leadership in resolving complex manufacturing and production issues.
• Develop and implement process controls to improve consistency, capability, yield, and reliability.
• Collaborate with Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, R&D, and other engineering functions to resolve cross-functional technical challenges.
• Establish technical direction and provide mentorship to engineers and other technical personnel.
• The Lead Materials and Process Engineer is accountable for producing clear, technically sound, and actionable engineering outputs, including:
• Material selection and qualification plans.
• Material and process specifications.
• Produce design allowables supporting the manufacturing process development and optimization plans.
• Engineering test plans, procedures, and reports.
• Process qualification and validation documentation.
• Failure analysis and root-cause investigation reports.
• Design and process risk assessments.
• Process capability and statistical analysis.
• Manufacturing process requirements, controls, and acceptance criteria.
• Technical recommendations supported by data and analysis.

The work of the Lead Materials and Process Engineer should result in measurable improvements across the product and manufacturing lifecycle, including:

• Product reliability: Materials and processes consistently meet performance and environmental requirements.
• Manufacturing quality: Reduced defects, variation, rework, and scrap.
• Process capability: Manufacturing processes demonstrate repeatability and sustained capability.
• Yield and productivity: Improved production yield, throughput, and operational efficiency.
• Cost: Reduced material, manufacturing, quality, and lifecycle costs.
• Time to market: Efficient development and qualification of new materials and processes.
• Risk reduction: Identification and mitigation of material, process, supplier, and manufacturing risks before they affect production or customers.

• Strong understanding of materials science, material properties, material selection, and material degradation mechanisms.
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing and process-development principles.
• Experience developing, optimizing, qualifying, and controlling manufacturing processes.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, material specifications, process specifications, and technical standards.
• Experience with root-cause analysis, failure analysis, and structured problem-solving.
• Experience designing and executing engineering experiments, process trials, and qualification programs.
• Ability to analyze technical data and translate results into clear…