Process Engineer II (Coatings & Thin Films)
Impulse Space
USD 115k-155k / year + Equity
Posted on Apr 11, 2026
As a Process Engineer at Impulse Space, you will lead the manufacturing scale-up and production of our advanced coatings and catalytic materials. In this role, you will be the bridge between R&D and production, acting as the direct counterpart to our materials design and characterization engineering team. Your primary focus will be taking novel passive thermal control coatings designed for LEO and GEO environments and developing the robust, scalable processes needed to manufacture them. This is a highly cross-functional role requiring expertise in both thin-film deposition and downstream physical processing.
- Department
- Manufacturing
- Employment Type
- Full Time
- Location
- Redondo Beach
- Workplace type
- Onsite
- Compensation
- $115,000 - $155,000 / year
Responsibilities
- Partner with the materials design engineering team to transition novel passive thermal control coatings from lab-scale R&D into reliable, repeatable production
- Develop, optimize, and scale thin film deposition processes tailored to survive the harsh environments of LEO and GEO
- Design and implement the downstream production steps for coated materials, including precision slitting, perforating, and the application of backside adhesives
- Lead the scale-up and manufacturing strategy for proprietary catalysts used in our propulsion systems, ensuring consistency and high yield
- Design, procure, and commission custom tooling, fixturing, and manufacturing equipment for new products and processes
- Establish standard operating procedures (SOPs), quality control metrics, and continuous improvement initiatives for the coating and catalyst production lines
- Troubleshoot manufacturing bottlenecks and perform root-cause analysis on process deviations
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline
- 3+ years of hands-on experience in process engineering, specifically focused on scaling up thin film, coating, or deposition technologies
- Proven experience developing downstream manufacturing and converting processes, such as roll-to-roll handling, slitting, perforating, and adhesive lamination
- Experience transitioning materials or chemical products from R&D into a pilot or full-scale production environment
- Strong understanding of manufacturing fundamentals, including Design of Experiments (DOE) and Statistical Process Control (SPC)
Preferred Skills and Experience
- 4+ years of direct experience developing or manufacturing hardware for aerospace applications, with an understanding of the space environment (e.g., thermal cycling, atomic oxygen, radiation)
- Prior experience with catalyst production, handling, or integration
- Familiarity with specific deposition techniques (e.g., PVD, CVD, ALD) and vacuum systems
- Experience designing custom automated or semi-automated manufacturing equipment
Additional Information:
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.
Impulse Space’s spacecraft manufacturing business is subject to U.S. export regulations including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR). This position requires applicants to be either U.S. Persons (i.e., U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent U.S. resident (green card holder), an individual granted asylum in the U.S., or an individual admitted in U.S. refugee status) or persons eligible to obtain an export license from the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, or other applicable U.S. government agencies. Learn more about the ITAR here.
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.
Impulse Space’s spacecraft manufacturing business is subject to U.S. export regulations including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR). This position requires applicants to be either U.S. Persons (i.e., U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent U.S. resident (green card holder), an individual granted asylum in the U.S., or an individual admitted in U.S. refugee status) or persons eligible to obtain an export license from the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, or other applicable U.S. government agencies. Learn more about the ITAR here.
Impulse Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Impulse Space 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.
About Impulse Space
Impulse Space, the in-space transportation company founded by Tom Mueller, is opening access beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with its fleet of in-space transportation vehicles. The high-energy Helios vehicle unlocks orbits beyond LEO with its powerful Deneb engine, dropping off payloads in MEO, GEO, heliocentric, lunar, and other planetary orbits. The flight-proven Mira vehicle uses a nontoxic, high-impulse chemical propulsion system to offer orbital transport, constellation deployment, and precision reentry services to customers throughout LEO. Led by a team that delivered the most reliable rockets in history, Impulse provides economical and efficient in-space transportation by reliably and rapidly getting customers where they want to go.
Our Hiring Process
Stage 1:
Application Received
Stage 2:
Resume Review
Stage 3:
Intro Phone Interview
Stage 4:
Technical Phone Interview(s)
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