Materials Scientist

Role details

Materials Scientist — Metallurgy / Metallization

About Pegasus Industries

Pegasus Industries is a critical materials company serving defense contractors and subcontractors. We help ensure that the essential material inputs needed to build critical systems are produced and delivered on time, supporting reliable supply and keeping manufacturing schedules on track.

About the Role

We are seeking a Materials Scientist based in Los Angeles with a background in metallurgy or metallization to support materials development, process evaluation, and customer qualification.

You will work directly with our executive team, suppliers, and customers to understand material requirements, evaluate production processes, and ensure materials meet technical and quality specifications.

The ideal candidate combines a strong understanding of materials science with practical laboratory or manufacturing experience, analytical judgment, and consistent follow-through.

Responsibilities

• Translate customer requirements into material specifications, testing plans, and acceptance criteria.
• Evaluate material composition, microstructure, properties, and performance.
• Develop or improve metallurgical or metallization processes, depending on your area of expertise.
• Design and conduct experiments to assess process feasibility, repeatability, and material quality.
• Investigate defects, contamination, process variability, and material failures; recommend corrective actions.
• Work with suppliers, laboratories, and manufacturing partners to evaluate capabilities and resolve technical issues.
• Support material qualification, sample preparation, testing, and customer technical reviews.
• Help transition successful laboratory processes into repeatable pilot or production workflows.
• Prepare technical reports, process documentation, and clear recommendations for internal teams and customers.
• Maintain accurate experimental records and ensure traceability of samples, methods, and results.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science, Metallurgical Engineering, or a closely related field.
• Relevant laboratory or industrial experience in metallurgy, metallization, or materials processing.
• Strong understanding of the relationships between processing, composition, microstructure, and material properties.
• Hands-on experience with material characterization and testing methods relevant to your specialty.
• Ability to design experiments, interpret results, and troubleshoot technical problems.
• Strong technical writing, organizational skills, and attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently and collaborate with an international team.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Based in the Los Angeles area, with availability for visits to suppliers, laboratories, and customer facilities.

Required Technical Skills

• Metallurgy or metallization:

Practical expertise in metal processing, extraction, refining, alloy development, heat treatment, plating, or thin-film deposition.

• Materials characterization:

Experience with relevant techniques such as SEM/EDS, XRD, optical microscopy, chemical analysis, or mechanical testing.

• Process development:

Ability to identify process parameters, evaluate their effects, and improve consistency and performance.

• Experimental design:

Plan structured experiments, analyze data, and draw evidence-based conclusions.

• Failure analysis:

Investigate defects and performance issues to identify root causes.

• Technical documentation:

Produce clear specifications, procedures, test reports, and qualification records.

Preferred Experience

• Master’s degree or PhD in Materials Science, Metallurgy, or a related discipline.
• Experience with critical materials, rare-earth elements, specialty metals, or high-purity materials.
• Experience in extractive or physical metallurgy, including separation, reduction, refining, casting, powder metallurgy, or heat treatment.
• Experience in metallization, including surface preparation, electroplating, electroless plating, PVD, CVD, or coating adhesion and reliability.
• Experience supporting defense, aerospace, electronics, or advanced manufacturing applications.
• Familiarity with supplier qualification, material traceability, and quality requirements.
• Experience scaling processes from laboratory development to pilot or commercial production.
• Experience working in a startup or building technical processes in an early-stage environment.