Materials Engineer (Polymers

MAKO’s mission is to improve the efficiency of the global aviation fleet, saving billions in fuel and megatonnes of CO2 every year.

We are looking for a polymers focused Materials Engineer to join MAKO and help develop our drag reducing ‘shark skin’ through the full engineering lifecycle - from specification setting through to manufacturing handover. You will report to the Head of Product Engineering and work closely with the Product, Certification, Manufacturing, and Quality teams to develop a commercial aviation product that is robust, manufacturable, and built to last.

What You Will Do

• Develop the novel material formulations that make up our products - taking them through the full engineering lifecycle, from specification setting and design for performance through to validation assessment and manufacturing handover.
• Set verification criteria, conduct quantitative risk analysis (DFMEA), and define tolerances to ensure products meet performance, durability, and regulatory requirements.
• Plan and execute experiments using structured methodologies - including Design of Experiment concepts and 8D problem solving - and perform appropriate statistical analysis of results, including analysis of variance and statistical significance assessment.
• Engage with, and qualify, suppliers to reduce supply chain risk and ensure alignment with MAKO’s quality management system processes and procedures.
• Monitor and communicate progress, escalate changes that affect timing, budget, or key milestones, and rapidly unblock technical issues to keep projects on track.
• Navigate complex, ambiguous, and dynamic situations with sound judgement and evidence-guided decision-making.

What Success Looks Like

First Month

• Develop a strong understanding of Flightfilm's material architecture, performance requirements, existing verification program, and certification context.
• Review existing design documentation, test plans, DFMEAs, and supplier qualification records.
• Build working relationships with Product Engineering, Certification, Manufacturing, and Quality teams.

First Six Months

• Demonstrate ownership of active materials engineering workstreams, including verification activities, supplier engagements, and design development tasks.
• Contribute meaningfully to design guides, tolerance setting, and design sensitivity analyses.
• Demonstrate structured, evidence-guided problem solving on live technical challenges.

First Year

• Lead end-to-end materials engineering developments that materially advance Flightfilm's certification readiness, manufacturing scalability, and product robustness.
• Work to, and contribute to the development of design guides and methodologies that are adopted across the team and reduce design cycle time.
• Be recognised internally as a reliable technical contributor who navigates ambiguity effectively and keeps programs moving.
• Have meaningfully uplifted the materials engineering capability of the broader team.

About You

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science, or a related discipline.
• Thrive in a fast-moving, ambiguous, and constantly evolving startup environment.
• 3+ years of experience in materials or product engineering within a technically complex, regulated industry such as aviation, aerospace, automotive, or medical.
• Demonstrated experience taking a commercial-grade material product through a full development cycle, from specification setting through to testing and manufacturing handover.
• Hands-on experience with engineering products for harsh environment applications.
• Familiarity with agile product engineering methodologies and internationally recognised quality management systems (ISO 9001, AS9100).
• Strong quantitative skills, including statistical analysis of experimental results.
• Ability to navigate complex, ambiguous situations and make evidence-guided decisions with confidence.

Why You Should Join MAKO

• Impact: Aviation is one of the hardest to abate industries, and its share of global emissions is only growing. Join our mission to improve the efficiency of the global fleet and save millions of tonnes of CO2 every year
• Technology: Our technology leverages the drag-reducing properties of shark skin to make aircraft more efficient. You'll be exposed to expertise and developments in materials, photolithography, fluid dynamics, and scale manufacturing
• Team: Our team focuses on achieving our mission. We live our values of lift over drag, active transparency, and changing the boundary conditions, and we welcome new team members who want to do the same
• Corporate Jet: We have (most of) a corporate jet. It won't fly, but it sure does look cool.

Bring your curiosity, your rigour, and your appetite for hard problems, and help us change the boundary conditions of what aviation can be.