{"id":439600,"url":"https://alion.io/job/tempo-staff-materials-engineer","title":"Staff Materials Engineer","company":{"id":171946,"name":"Tempo","domain":"tempo.fit","url":"https://alion.io/company/tempo-3","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":null},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"staff","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["San Diego, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":148000,"max":161700,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":161700},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":5,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Statistical Process Control","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-08-26T21:03:49Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-28","last_verified_at":"2026-10-25T20:54:20Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":59,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":59},"description":"About Tempo\nBased in San Diego, California, Tempo develops thermochemical energy storage (TCES) systems designed for energy-intensive industries. The platform enables industrial operators to shift energy use over time by sourcing power when it is most cost-effective and enables the electrification of high-temperature industrial heat at a cost advantage to using fossil fuels. By storing electricity thermochemically, the system delivers a continuous stream of combustion-free, high-temperature air at up to 1,200°C.\nTempo is backed by leading climate and energy investors, including Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Khosla Ventures, and Prelude Ventures.\nFor more information, visit www.tempoenergy.com.\nJob Description\nThe Staff Materials Engineer will lead complex materials development and quality initiatives that directly impact product reliability, manufacturability, and supplier readiness. This role combines deep technical expertise in ceramic materials with ownership of quality systems, process control strategies, supplier qualification, and scale-up readiness.\nThis experienced Materials Engineer will operate as a technical leader across R&D, manufacturing, and supplier organizations, ensuring that materials, processes, and inspection methodologies consistently produce reliable outcomes. Beyond project execution, this role establishes standards, develops quality frameworks, mentors engineers, and drives continuous improvement across the organization.\nThis position is particularly suited for an engineer with significant experience in ceramic manufacturing, quality assurance, process control, failure analysis, and supplier qualification.\nKey Responsibilities\nInnovation\nLead efforts around material development with desired electro/thermo-physical properties\nConceive and implement material testing and qualification strategies\nQuality Systems & Manufacturing Excellence\nEstablish QA/QC methodologies for ceramic materials, components, and manufacturing processes.\nDevelop inspection plans, control plans, acceptance criteria, and statistical process control methodologies.\nLead root-cause investigations for material failures, process deviations, yield losses, and field performance issues.\nDevelop incoming, in-process, and final inspection strategies for ceramic products.\nDrive implementation of quality systems with internal teams and external manufacturing partners.\nDefine critical-to-quality (CTQ) characteristics and process capability targets.\nSupplier Quality & Qualification\nLead qualification and auditing of ceramic suppliers and contract manufacturers.\nDevelop supplier scorecards and quality metrics.\nReview and approve manufacturing process changes, material substitutions, and corrective actions.\nPartner with suppliers to improve yield, consistency, and throughput.\nFailure Analysis & Reliability\nLead investigations involving cracking, creep, thermal shock, dimensional instability, conductivity drift, and microstructural degradation.\nCorrelate microstructure, processing history, and operating conditions with component performance.\nDevelop accelerated life testing methodologies and reliability validation plans.\nProcess Scale-Up\nDefine quality requirements for pilot and commercial-scale manufacturing.\nIdentify manufacturing risks before scale-up and implement mitigation plans.\nDrive process capability improvements and manufacturing readiness assessments.\nBasic Qualifications\nMS in Ceramics Engineering, Materials Science, or similar discipline\n5-10 years relevant experience with hands on formulations, characterization, and analysis\nPreferred Skills and Experience\nPhD in Ceramics Engineering, Materials Science, or similar discipline\nDeep Expertise in ceramic processing, sintering, powder technology, and high-temperature materials.\nDemonstrated experience implementing QA/QC systems in ceramic or refractory manufacturing environments.\nStrong understanding of SPC, DOE, process capability studies, MSA, and quality engineering tools.\nExpertise in failure analysis using SEM, XRD, microscopy, thermal analysis, and mechanical testing.\nExperience with supplier qualification and manufacturing scale-up.\nAbility to translate laboratory findings into robust production controls.\nCompensation Range\nThe US base salary range for this full-time position is $148000 to $161,700 + equity + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, individual pay is determined by additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, location, and relevant education or training. \nPlease note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include equity or benefits.\nPhysical Demands\nSitting and standing: Extended periods at a desk performing computer-based design, simulation, and documentation work.\nLifting and carrying : Lift and carry equipment up to 50 lbs.; heavier items handled with mechanical assistance or team lift\n Travel: Occasional travel (estimated <5%) \nWorking at Tempo\nTempo is a lean organization working on exciting challenges, and the people who thrive here share a few things in common beyond their technical skills.\nClear, direct communication: You professionally say what you mean, lead with empathy, use tact, ask when you're unsure, and keep the people around you informed without being asked. At a company our size, communication gaps are expensive, and good communicators add to success and efficiency!\nLow-ego helpfulness: You're willing to jump in on work that isn't strictly yours, whether that's helping a teammate debug something, lending a hand in the shop, or flagging an issue you noticed outside your lane. No one here succeeds in a silo.\nIntellectual curiosity: You're genuinely interested in how things work, not just your piece of it, but the broader system. Tempo sits at the intersection of chemistry, mechanical engineering, power electronics, and software; the more you understand about the whole, the more valuable you become.\nBusiness awareness: You understand that your work exists in a business context. You think about cost, timeline, and tradeoffs-not just technical elegance-and you make decisions accordingly.\nComfort with ambiguity: Processes here are still being built. You can make progress without a perfect playbook, and you know when to ask for direction versus when to use your judgment and move forward.\n Accountability: You own your outcomes, including the misses. When something goes sideways, the instinct here is to fix it and learn from it, not to explain why it wasn't your fault. \n\nThis job description is intended to provide a general overview of the position and is not an exhaustive list of duties, responsibilities, or qualifications. Tempo reserves the right to modify, add, or remove responsibilities as business needs evolve. Employees may be asked to perform duties outside of those listed above from time to time.\nTempo is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team and encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply. Tempo participates in E-Verify. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a background check including employment and education check. \nCalifornia Privacy Notice (CCPA) - In connection with your application, Tempo collects personal information that you voluntarily provide, such as your name, contact information, employment history, and other information relevant to your candidacy. This information is collected and used solely for the purpose of evaluating your application and administering the hiring process. Tempo does not sell applicants' personal information. For more information about your rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), please contact HR.\nTempo does not accept unsolicited resumes or candidate profiles from external recruiters, staffing agencies, or third-party search firms. Submission of unsolicited resumes by any external agency - whether to a Tempo employee, hiring manager, or any other representative - does not constitute or imply an agreement for placement fees, and Tempo will not be responsible for any fees related to unsolicited submissions under any circumstances. Any candidate submitted without a prior, fully executed, written fee agreement between the agency and Tempo's Human Resources department will be deemed the sole property of Tempo. Tempo reserves the right to pursue and hire such candidates without obligation to the submitting agency.","description_format":"text","description_chars":8710,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":5,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"master","optional":true},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Fitness","Fitness Equipment"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-06T07:20:51Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":37,"band":"fade","label":"Fading","p_open":1,"p_active":0.672,"p_room":0.55,"age_days":59,"expected_fill_days":40,"reasons":["conf:0","win:tail"],"computed_at":"2026-10-25T05:49:26Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":161700,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/tempo-staff-materials-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/tempo-staff-materials-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-25T20:57:45Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":29578,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-26T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":171946},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=171946"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Ftempo-staff-materials-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Ftempo-staff-materials-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Ftempo-staff-materials-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/tempo-staff-materials-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Ftempo-staff-materials-engineer"}]}