Senior Materials Engineer

Your Mission:

As Senior Materials & Processes (M&P) Engineer (all genders), you will join VÆRIDION's Technology division within the Mechanical Design & Integration team and own materials and processes for the propulsion battery system of VÆRIDION's CS-23 all-electric aircraft, from the first material selection through to qualification and certification. You will identify the best material for each application, from composites, polymers, and metals to adhesives, gaskets, and insulation materials, and make sure that each one can be turned into a part through a controlled, repeatable, and qualified process. Through trade studies, characterization, process oversight, and close supplier engagement, you will make sure that every material and process in the propulsion battery system performs safely in normal operation, under abuse, and during thermal runaway.

Within the Mechanical Design & Integration team, you will work closely with Mechanical Design, Thermal Systems, HV Electrical Systems, Airborne Electronics, and Cell Technology, as well as with the Production, Quality, and Certification teams, applying established aerospace practices at the interface between the design organization and the production organization. As the single technical authority on materials and processes, you will hold final approval of materials, processes, and material sources for flight hardware. Your work will directly contribute to the propulsion battery system that underpins VÆRIDION's mission to bring electric flight to regional aviation.

Your Day-to-Day:

Material selection and process oversight

• Lead material selection for propulsion battery system requirements such as thermal runaway, heat transfer, cooling, electrical isolation, thermal protection, mechanical shock, fatigue, sealing, electrical bonding, and EMI shielding.

• Lead structured material trade studies that balance mechanical, thermal, electrical, chemical, weight, cost, processability, and supply chain considerations.

• Select metallic materials, including alloy, temper, cladding, and surface protection, with particular attention to corrosion behaviour and galvanic compatibility.

• Author test plans and test requests to assess material performance for aircraft function and processability including materials compatibility, thermomechanical properties, electrical properties, and defectivity.

• Review manufacturing and supplier processes for material-related risks, and oversee gap analyses of those processes against the governing material and process specifications.

• Define and support implementation of critical in-process qualification checks and tests to ensure process quality.

• Assess material and process interactions, including cure, adhesion, contamination, and aging effects.

• Support Manufacturing Engineering and suppliers in troubleshooting challenging process failures, and lead failure investigations and root cause analyses where material behaviour is a contributor.

• Assess and disposition material non-conformances, including the technical justification for use-as-is, rework, or rejection decisions, and agree corrective actions with Quality and Manufacturing Engineering.

• Provide materials input to the engineering requirements Production uses for manufacturing documentation, and support prototype builds and production ramp-up as development matures.

Specifications, qualification, and certification

• Own material and process specifications and approved-material definitions.

• Review engineering drawings for correct material and process callouts and compliance with material and process specifications, and sign them for release to manufacturing.

• Lead material qualification and certification substantiation, including ownership of material property data and guidance on applying approved data in certification analysis.

• Own process qualification and validation, including the identification of special processes and the qualification strategy.

• Lead technical engagement with material suppliers, including requirements alignment, data requests, the evaluation of new material candidates, and supplier process qualification.

• Ensure materials and processes comply with REACH, RoHS, and health, safety, and environmental requirements.

• Maintain material and process documentation under configuration control.

Technical leadership

• Represent materials and processes in design reviews and in discussions with suppliers, partners, and authorities.

• Mentor engineers and build materials and processes expertise company-wide.

Your Profile:

• Master's degree or PhD in Materials Science & Engineering, or a Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related field with a strong materials focus.

• 5+ years of experience in materials and/or materials and processes engineering, preferably in aerospace.

• Proven experience on at least one aircraft development program, ideally through certification.

• Deep understanding of structure-property-processing relationships in polymers, composites, metals, and ceramics.

• Proven ability to select the best material for a given application based on data, first principles, and a sound understanding of how the material is processed into a part.

• Working knowledge of metallic materials, including the selection of alloys, tempers, and cladding, as well as corrosion and corrosion protection.

• Knowledge of processing requirements for polymers, composites, and metals, such as cure processes for thermosets, fusion bonding of thermoplastics, adhesive bonding, coating technologies, machining of plastics, composites, and metals, welding, forging, casting, and forming.

• Hands-on experience with adhesive bonding, potting, composite manufacturing, or surface treatment processes.

• Experience with material characterization methods such as mechanical testing, thermal analysis, rheology, and microscopy.

• Experience planning tests and interpreting results, writing material and process specifications, and qualifying materials, processes, and supplier processes for certification, including test plans and test reports.

• Strong working knowledge of the interface between design and production organizations under EASA Part 21 or equivalent.

• Experience with root cause analysis for material and manufacturing issues, and with assessing and dispositioning material non-conformances.

• Knowledge of high-temperature material performance and fire, smoke, and toxicity behaviour is desirable.

• Familiarity with statistical process control and design of experiments is desirable.

• Familiarity with CS-23, DO-160, DO-311A, CMH-17, MMPDS, and Nadcap is beneficial.

• Experience with battery or other high-energy systems is beneficial.

• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and 3D models, including material and process callouts, notes, and specification references.

• Strong problem-solving skills, technical curiosity, and attention to detail.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English. German is a plus.

• Passionate about aviation and the electrification of flight.

We recognize that women and other under-represented groups are often overlooked in our industry. If you’re excited about this role but don’t meet every listed qualification, we still encourage you to apply. Talent and potential can’t always be captured in a checklist.

Why us?

• Be part of an ambitious team determined to shape the future of aviation.

• We are an in-office company, but we value flexibility and trust employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work or adjusting hours to accommodate personal commitments.

• Subsidized EGYM Wellpass membership: your (mental) health is important for us.

• Enjoy a subsidized lunch with a 5€ company contribution per meal on office days.

• Become a part of our success with virtual stock options.

• Choose the option that suits your needs: either a free charging station for your electric car or a public transport job ticket as part of the Deutschlandticket.

• Lease a high-quality bicycle or e-bike through our JobRad program and benefit from tax advantages. Whether for your daily commute or personal use, enjoy more mobility and sustainability.

• Pension scheme to support your long-term financial security.

• Work in one of our offices in Munich or Delft. Enjoy the modern Balan Campus in Munich or work inside the aerospace ecosystem at TU Delft.

• Boost your professional as well as personal growth executing your own ideas and independent projects.

• Join our internal social events and retreats (e.g. cooking, game nights, sports).

VÆRIDION was founded in 2021 to transform regional air travel with the Microliner, a 100% electric commercial aircraft. By delivering the most energy-efficient aircraft, we are building the future where clean, safe, and affordable electric aviation seamlessly connects people and businesses. We’re bringing together the brightest minds in aerospace, automotive engineering, and business to disrupt the aviation industry.