What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Additive Manufacturing Engineer — LPBF (R&D) position at Kensington Additive?
Senior Additive R&D Engineer (Metal AM) — Onsite, Greater Los Angeles (Thousand Oaks area), CA
Company: Confidential (Aerospace/Defense) • Type: Full-time • Clearance: ITAR U.S. person required
The role
Join a high-growth, Tier-1 metal AM team pushing LPBF from advanced R&D into production. You’ll own parameter development, materials qualification and scale-up for mission-critical aerospace/defense programs—turning breakthrough research into parts that fly.
What you’ll do
- Develop/refine LPBF (DMLS) print parameters for aerospace alloys (e.g., Ti-6Al-4V, IN718, refractory).
- Plan and run DoE builds; analyze porosity, density and mechanicals to close the loop on quality.
- Lead material/part qualification (tensile, fatigue, creep) with internal & external labs.
- Perform/interpret metallography and characterization (SEM/EDS/XRD, microstructure analysis).
- Define powder handling, reuse, contamination controls, and feedstock health metrics.
- Partner with manufacturing/quality to transition R&D to production (RCAs, CAPAs, AS9100 practices).
- Create clear technical reports, specs, and build/heat-treat/HIP travelers for repeatability.
What you’ll bring
- BS/MS/PhD in Materials Science, Metallurgy, Mechanical, or related.
- 4 years’ hands-on metal LPBF/DMLS experience (parameter tuning/process development).
- Strong grasp of microstructure–property relationships, heat treatment/HIP, failure analysis.
- Comfort with DoE, data analysis (Minitab/Python/MATLAB) and CAD (SolidWorks).
- Knowledge of aerospace/defense quality frameworks (AS9100, AMS/ASTM F42).
- Excellent documentation and cross-functional communication skills.
- Must be a U.S. person under ITAR and able to work 100% onsite in the Thousand Oaks area.
Nice-to-have
- Experience qualifying Ti-6Al-4V and IN718 for aerospace.
- Refractory alloys exposure (e.g., C-103, Mo-based).
- NDT familiarity (CT, dye-pen, ultrasounds) for additively manufactured parts.
Benefits & culture
Competitive salary, bonus eligibility, medical/dental/vision, 401(k) with match, paid time off & holidays, paid parental leave, and a safety-first, mission-driven environment.
Salary : $150,000 - $200,000