Director of Engineering

Location: Las Vegas, NV (On-site)

Travel: ~15–30%

Reports to: CEO

We are an advanced materials technology company focused on defense, aerospace, and energy applications. Our core technology is built around Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS), enabling rapid manufacturing of high-performance materials with significantly reduced cost and lead time compared to conventional processes.

Our current work includes:

• Ultra-high-temperature ceramics (UHTCs)
• Carbon–carbon composites
• Carbon-ceramic materials
• Synthetic graphite and battery materials

We work directly with the DoD, prime contractors, and OEM partners across braking systems, hypersonics, ballistic protection, and energy storage applications.

We are transitioning from early-stage technology development into scalable manufacturing and program execution.

We are hiring a Director of Engineering to lead and scale our engineering organization.

This is a high-ownership leadership role responsible for:

• Engineering execution
• Technical direction
• Team leadership
• Scaling SPS-based manufacturing capabilities
• Bridging executive leadership and engineering

This is not a purely academic research role and not a hands-off management position. We are looking for someone who can build structure, lead technical development, execute programs, and help scale advanced materials technology into real-world deployment.

Immediate focus areas include execution of our DEVCOM GVSC brake program along with expansion into hypersonics, ballistic protection, and energy storage applications.

• Lead development of UHTC, carbon-carbon, and carbon-ceramic material systems
• Advance and scale SPS-based manufacturing processes
• Drive transition from R&D into repeatable production
• Build, manage, and mentor the engineering team
• Define engineering roadmap and technical strategy
• Support technical proposals for DoD and SBIR/STTR opportunities
• Represent the company in customer and technical engagements
• Align engineering execution with business strategy and company growth objectives

• MS or PhD in Materials Science, Materials Engineering, or related field
• 8–15 years in advanced materials, ceramics, or high-performance composites
• Strong materials science foundation
• Experience with SPS strongly preferred
• Background in UHTCs, carbon-carbon, or carbon-ceramic systems
• Experience leading engineering teams and technical programs
• Strong understanding of materials chemistry and process-property relationships

• Experience with DoD programs or defense suppliers
• Proposal writing experience (SBIR/STTR, OTAs, BAAs)
• Experience scaling processes from R&D to production
• Familiarity with hypersonics, ballistic systems, or battery materials
• Startup or high-growth environment experience
• Ability to obtain a U.S. security clearance

• Strong engineering ownership and execution discipline
• Successful delivery of active defense programs
• Advancement of SPS capabilities and materials performance
• Scalable engineering infrastructure and team growth
• Engineering becomes a driver of company growth and capability expansion

This is a critical leadership hire with significant technical and organizational impact. We are looking for someone who wants to build, lead, and scale—not simply manage an existing organization.