Materials Test Engineer

Why Aero Shield might be great for you

Aero Shield is a collaborative team of 25+ people bound by a mission to deliver innovative new materials to make our lives more sustainable. A lot of energy is wasted by poor building insulation, especially poorly insulated windows, and we want to change that. We are developing super-insulating, transparent inserts for windows based on aerogels, bringing state‑of‑the‑art thermal comfort and energy efficiency into buildings at an affordable price.

You’ll become part of a growing team where everyone is familiar, collaborating closely to tackle impactful challenges. In this environment, you’ll be surrounded by talented individuals who excel in their roles and are supportive team players.

Our goal is to ensure that our super‑insulating silica aerogel, the first truly transparent aerogel, is widely adopted to enable affordable, high‑performance windows.

The Materials Test Engineer will support the testing and inspection of materials used to manufacture silica aerogels, as well as the finished aerogel products themselves. Features inspected will include optical quality as well as fundamental material properties using standardized as well as in‑development testing procedures.

The Materials Test Engineer must be highly organized, detail‑oriented, have a passion for learning new testing techniques, and work collaboratively with others. We highly value a positive team culture and are looking for someone who wants to be part of continuously enhancing this culture. This person should embody Aero Shield’s values of Understand & Improve, Value People and Persons, and Act Sustainably.

The ideal candidate has experience working in a hands‑on, laboratory setting and has an unwavering commitment to safety and data integrity. They thrive in startup environments with shifting tasks and priorities, where the results of their work play an important role in advancing new technologies to the market.

• Learn and become a subject matter expert in testing used to assess optical quality and fundamental properties of aerogels and insulated glass units (IGUs).
• Perform testing on incoming, in process, and outgoing materials while maintaining a rigorous laboratory notebook and ensuring accurate data entry.
• Collaborate with other members of the technical team to support continuous improvement initiatives, including test method refinement, identification of recurring defects, identification of process gaps, and root cause analysis.
• Support experimental procedures and contribute to research and development efforts.
• Maintain organized and clean work areas.
• Clean and maintain all testing related equipment, including performing preventative maintenance, calibration, or calibration verification.

This role requires candidates to be on‑site 5 days a week at our facility in Waltham, MA.

• Bachelor’s degree in a tech‑related field.
• Ability to pay close attention to detail, focusing on accuracy and quality.
• Strong interpersonal skills including the ability to listen, distill information, consult, and suggest new approaches.
• Hands‑on experience (lab or R&D) with performing tests or experiments consistently/repeatably.
• Accurate data collection and data entry.
• Ability to use a variety of testing techniques.

• Experience performing material inspections, identifying nonconformances, and escalating appropriately.
• Experience with QA/QC systems and testing.
• Experience working hands‑on with machinery such as pumps, ovens, compressors, and pressure vessels (training provided).
• Experience with aerogel, glass, laminate, or IGU‑type materials.
• Can interpret drawing and ideas.
• Microsoft Office, especially Excel.

• Quick learner and creativity: ability to learn quickly by leveraging all possible resources.
• Highly detail‑oriented and organized.
• Works well in teams.
• Ability to train and lead others.
• Follows instructions.
• Doesn’t mind repetitive tasks.
• High emotional intelligence.
• Takes initiative.
• Ability to receive constructive feedback.
• Passion for Aero Shield values.

Aero Shield manufactures a super‑insulating nanoporous form of glass for energy efficient windows. Based on silica aerogel technology, Aero Shield is more transparent than glass and twice as insulating as air, enabling windows that are 50% more energy efficient and cost‑effective, with the potential to save billions of dollars in energy.

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