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Sensor Materials Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Leidos Dynetics' Advanced Materials Department is seeking a passionate, detail-oriented problem ... Exposure to in-situ monitoring systems or sensor integration in AM platforms. * Programming or ...

Leidos Dynetics' Advanced Materials Department is seeking a passionate, detail-oriented problem ... Exposure to in-situ monitoring systems or sensor integration in AM platforms. * Programming or ...

... materials and our strong R&D mindset allows us to develop highly innovative products and services ... Sensor Engineer Location : San Luis Obispo Responsibilities: * Design and implement sensor ...

... materials and our strong R&D mindset allows us to develop highly innovative products and services ... Sensor Engineer Location : San Luis Obispo Responsibilities: * Design and implement sensor ...

Systems Engineer IV

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$161K - $221K/yr

Who We Are Applied Materials is a global leader in materials engineering solutions used to produce ... sensor integration across equipment and subsystems Design scalable solutions supporting both new ...

Systems Engineer IV

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$161K - $221K/yr

Who We Are Applied Materials is a global leader in materials engineering solutions used to produce ... Define requirements for sensor performance, accuracy, and reliability Data Acquisition ...

Showing results 21-40

Sensor Materials Engineer information

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$40.5K

$92.6K

$118.5K

How much do sensor materials engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 13, 2026, the average yearly pay for sensor materials engineer in the United States is $92,639.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $84,000.00 and $102,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a sensor materials engineer?

Sensor materials engineers are professionals who design, develop, and improve the materials used in various types of sensors. They focus on selecting and modifying materials to enhance sensor performance, reliability, and efficiency for applications in fields like electronics, automotive, healthcare, and environmental monitoring. Their work involves understanding material properties, conducting experiments, and collaborating with other engineers to integrate sensors into devices. Sensor materials engineers play a key role in advancing sensor technology by ensuring sensors are sensitive, durable, and cost-effective.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a sensor materials engineer?

To thrive as a Sensor Materials Engineer, you need a solid background in materials science, engineering principles, and sensor technology, typically supported by a degree in materials science, chemistry, or a related field. Familiarity with characterization tools (such as SEM, TEM, and XPS), sensor fabrication techniques, and relevant software for data analysis is essential. Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and effective teamwork and communication abilities help you excel in multidisciplinary environments. These skills are crucial for developing innovative sensor materials with reliable performance for various applications.

What are some common challenges faced by sensor materials engineers when developing new sensor technologies?

Sensor Materials Engineers often encounter challenges such as selecting appropriate materials that balance sensitivity, durability, and compatibility with other components. They must also ensure the materials can be scaled for manufacturing while maintaining performance standards. Additionally, integrating new materials into existing sensor platforms may require close collaboration with electrical and mechanical engineers to address issues like signal interference or material degradation. Staying updated with the latest material innovations and testing methods is essential for overcoming these hurdles.

What is the difference between Sensor Materials Engineer vs Sensor Development Engineer?

AspectSensor Materials EngineerSensor Development Engineer
Primary FocusDeveloping and selecting materials for sensorsDesigning and testing sensor systems and prototypes
Required SkillsMaterials science, chemistry, sensor technologyElectronics, software, sensor integration
Work EnvironmentLaboratories, research facilitiesDesign labs, testing environments
Common Industry UsageElectronics, aerospace, healthcareConsumer electronics, industrial automation

Sensor Materials Engineers focus on developing and optimizing materials used in sensors, while Sensor Development Engineers work on designing, testing, and integrating sensor systems. Both roles often collaborate but differ in their core responsibilities and skill sets.

What are popular job titles related to Sensor Materials Engineer jobs?

For Sensor Materials Engineer jobs, the most frequently searched job titles are:

Infographic showing various Sensor Materials Engineer job openings in the United States as of September 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 82% Full Time, 13% Part Time, 1% Temporary, 2% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 91% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 7% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $92,639 per year, or $44.5 per hour.

Staff Materials Engineer, Design Allowables & Materials Data-Costa Mesa, California

Dana Point, CA • On-site

ANDURIL INDUSTRIES
Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing • 501 - 1,000 employees

$166K - $220K/yr

Full-time

Posted 22 days ago


Anduril rating

9.1

Company rating: 9.1 out of 10

Anduril

Based on 17 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz


Job description

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century's most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril's family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.
About the Team
Anduril's Materials Engineering team is seeking a Senior Materials and Process Engineer with a background in structural composites and bonded structures to join our rapidly growing team. Our team is the materials authority across Anduril's product portfolio, from autonomous aircraft and submarines to missiles and solid rocket motors, providing material selection guidance, developing design allowables, and qualifying manufacturing processes that take composite hardware from prototype to high-rate production.
About the Role
Anduril designs and fields systems across an unusually broad materials portfolio. Advancing our products depends on trusted, analysis-ready design allowables across this full range of materials, and this role owns how we generate, govern, and scale that material property data company-wide.
This role is your opportunity to establish the methodology, infrastructure, and governance that turns materials characterization and material qualification into a strategically defined workflow for producing defensible, analysis-ready allowables. It's your opportunity to set a technical standard and get an organization to adopt it. Shape how materials engineering gets done, not just what gets tested. You'll build the foundation and scale it.
Who You Are
  • You measure your impact by how much better you make the engineers around you. You build trust across teams, share credit, and are the person others seek out to solve hard problems with.
  • You have a bias for action. You'd rather stand up a defensible first version and iterate toward rigor than wait to reach perfection.
  • You think in systems as much as in specimens.
  • You are as comfortable defining the statistical basis for a design value as you are architecting how that data is captured, governed, and reused.
  • You do your best work where the path isn't drawn yet. Ambiguity is a starting condition, not a blocker-bringing structure to fast-moving, loosely-defined problems is exactly the work, and exactly what you enjoy.
What You'll Do
  • Own the Design Allowables Standard. Define and own how test data becomes a defensible design value across Anduril's business lines-statistical basis (A-basis / B-basis, pooling, reduction methods), acceptance and inclusion criteria, traceability, versioning, and controlled release. Your methodology becomes the baseline every program's materials data is held to.
  • Build the Materials Data Pipeline. Architect and stand up a materials data pipeline that ingests, structures, governs, and releases materials data into our enterprise materials database. Establish the criteria and pipeline that let advanced and non-standard materials be characterized once, correctly, and reused across programs.
  • Turn Testing into a Strategic Workflow. Transform materials characterization and test data management from testing performed as needed into a defined system: what gets tested, to what rigor, and how results become trusted allowables.
  • Establish Fatigue and Fracture-Critical Methodology. Define and implement a standardized approach to fatigue-life assessment and damage tolerance, including the qualification path for using materials in a fracture-critical applications, so high-consequence design decisions rest on a consistent, defensible basis.
  • Extract Value from Lifecycle Material Data. Build the means to turn the material property and certification data generated across our supply chain into a growing statistical foundation that strengthens our knowledge base over time. Supplier, process and lot-to-lot variability, becomes a queryable digital thread of material traceability, and enables faster decision making through quantified material and process metrics.
  • Serve as the Cross-Business-Line Technical Authority. Be the subject-matter expert for materials allowables and data across the portfolio. Partner with design, analysis, test, and quality to align on data requirements, support design and qualification reviews, and drive adoption of the right sized solution for a program.
  • Seed the Function. Set the technical standard for materials data and allowables at Anduril. Build the capability and with it, the team around you. A staff engineer here builds capability in the people and systems around them, not just in the work they touch.

Required Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Materials Engineering, Metallurgy or a related field
  • 8+ years of materials and process engineering experience in aerospace, defense, or a comparably rigorous domain
  • Deep expertise in materials characterization and design allowables development, including statistical basis (e.g., MMPDS / CMH-17-style methods)
  • Demonstrated experience turning test data into governed, analysis-ready datasets-data structure, statistics, and traceability (materials data management)
  • Experience with material qualification and characterization: mechanical testing, and translating results into usable design values
  • Proven ability to set a technical standard and drive adoption across teams
  • Strong technical writing-your methodology and specifications are clear, unambiguous, and actionable
  • Ability to manage multiple priorities and drive progress independently in a fast-paced environment
  • Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Top Secret security clearance

Preferred Qualifications
  • Active U.S. Secret or Top Secret security clearance
  • Hands-on experience with scoping and executing a characterization campaign from scratch
  • Background in fatigue and fracture mechanics, especially for fracture-critical or damage-tolerant components
  • Experience with materials data management / materials informatics platforms and partnering with software/data teams to build data pipelines
  • Direct experience with advanced or non-standard materials-high-temperature alloys, advanced composites, or additively-manufactured materials
  • Experience integrating or standardizing materials data across disparate or legacy sources

US Salary Range
$166,000-$220,000 USD
The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including:
Benefits
At Anduril, we invest in our people. Our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you're supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next. For more information, Explore Our Benefits.
Protecting Yourself from Recruitment Scams
Anduril is committed to maintaining the integrity of our Talent acquisition process and the security of our candidates. We've observed a rise in sophisticated phishing and fraudulent schemes where individuals impersonate Anduril representatives, luring job seekers with false interviews or job offers. These scammers often attempt to extract payment or sensitive personal information.
To ensure your safety and help you navigate your job search with confidence, please keep the following critical points in mind:
  • No Financial Requests: Anduril will never solicit payment or demand personal financial details (such as banking information, credit card numbers, or social security numbers) at any stage of our hiring process. Our legitimate recruitment is entirely free for candidates.
  • Please always verify communications:
    • Direct from Anduril: If you receive an email from one of our recruiters, it will only come from an @anduril.com address.
    • Via Agency Partner: If contacted by a recruiting agency for an Anduril role, their email will clearly identify their agency. If you suspect any suspicious activity, please verify the agency's authenticity by reaching out to contact@anduril.com.
  • Exercise Caution with Unsolicited Outreach: If you receive any communication that appears suspicious, contains grammatical errors, or makes unusual requests, do not engage. Always confirm the sender's email domain is @anduril.com before providing any personal information or clicking on links.
  • What to Do If You Suspect Fraud: Should you encounter any questionable or fraudulent outreach claiming to be from Anduril, please report it immediately to contact@anduril.com. Your proactive caution is invaluable in protecting your personal information and upholding the security and trustworthiness of our recruitment efforts.

Data Privacy
To view Anduril's candidate data privacy policy, please visit https://anduril.com/applicant-privacy-notice/.
By submitting your application, you consent to Anduril Industries using a third-party service provider to conduct pre-employment risk, integrity, and due diligence screening and assessing potential risks as part of your application process. This third-party service provider provides risk-intelligence services that may include analysis of sanctions and watchlists, adverse media, public-record information, and other lawful open-source or commercial data sources. This third-party service provider does not act as a consumer reporting agency. Use of this provider helps to ensure compliance with applicable laws and protect technology, intellectual property, and organizational security.

Working at Anduril

About Anduril, in their own words

From Anduril

As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril delivers cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the warfighter in months, not years.


What Anduril employees say

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About Anduril Industries

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Anduril Industries is a trailblazer in the technology industry based in Costa Mesa, CA, US. Founded in 2017 by Palmer Luckey, the creator of Oculus VR, the company focuses on developing innovative technology to equip and empower those in the defense sector. Its primary products include cutting-edge autonomous systems and AI software that assist in combating threats to national and global security. The mission of Anduril Industries is to integrate technology and defense by building transformative, scalable solutions that ensure a safer world.

Industry

Guided missile and space vehicle manufacturing

Company size

501 - 1,000 Employees

Headquarters location

Costa Mesa, CA, US

Year founded

2017

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