Staff Materials and Process Engineer

Karman Industries

Long Beach, CA

Founded in 2024 and headquartered in Signal Hill, California, Karman Industries is at the forefront of revolutionizing industrial thermal energy. Our mission is to electrify global thermal systems across data centers, manufacturing, and energy industries. Karman is developing the revolutionary Heat Processing Unit (HPU) to reinvent thermal handling for giga-scale data centers & AI factories. The HPU is built around a supercritical CO2 chiller system utilizing a high-speed electrically driven turbomachinery core. Our system aims to reduce energy consumption in data center thermal management by greater than 25% and increase energy density by 10x.

At Karman Industries, we are committed to fostering a dynamic and inclusive work environment where innovation thrives. Our team is composed of passionate professionals dedicated to making a tangible impact on the future of industrial manufacturing. Join us in our mission to transform the industry and contribute to a more sustainable world.

Materials Engineer

Karman Industries is seeking a highly motivated Materials Engineer to join our team designing the next generation of heat processing systems. The candidate will be responsible for identifying, qualifying, and developing materials and manufacturing processes to enable the Karman Heat Processing Unit (HPU) and subsequent product development. The role will span materials selection, qualification testing, and process development across a range of challenging applications. We are a team that relies on a strong first principles approach and working together to deliver a cohesively developed system.

Responsibilities:

• Identify and evaluate materials for use in our challenging applications

• Design and execute material qualification campaigns

• Develop internal processes including working with thermosets

• Develop internal manufacturing processes including metal brazing and welding

• Perform lab testing and characterization of welds, heat-treated materials, diffusion-bonded joints, and other processed materials

• Stand up and own the materials lab end to end, from defining equipment and testing requirements through developing procedures and running day-to-day operations

• Build out the materials discipline as the founding member of the materials group, establishing processes, standards, and best practices from the ground up, with significant opportunity to shape the direction of the function

• Work with a tightly knit team across disciplines to develop all aspects of the Karman Heat Processing Unit

• Implement novel solutions to challenging problems, thinking outside the box and challenging the status quo

• Develop analytical, physics-based (first principles) models to determine material performance and limitations

• Analyze and implement compliance requirements for certification and applicable industry codes and standards

• Hands-on support of material and process integration on product skids

Required Qualifications:

• B.Sc./B.Eng. in materials science, materials engineering, mechanical engineering, or equivalent

• 5+ years of experience in materials selection, qualification, or process development

• Experience developing and executing material test and qualification campaigns

• Familiarity with metal joining processes such as brazing and welding

• Hands-on experience with manufacturing process development

• Self-motivated / high performer, ability to self-manage, multi-task, and communicate excellently

Desired Skills and Experience:

• Experience evaluating elastomers, thermoplastics, and thermosets

• Experience with metallics processes, including forgings, castings, welding, brazing, sintering, and diffusion bonding

• Familiarity with ASME BPVC (Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code) and equivalent piping codes such as ASME B31.1 and B31.3

• Background in high-temperature or thermal processing applications

• Experience with failure analysis and root cause investigation

• Experience working with material and process specifications (ASTM, AWS, etc.)

• Experience with mechanical packaging or design for manufacturability

Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.

Karman Industries is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Karman Industries is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.