Senior Coatings Process Engineer / SME - 27134

Requisition Number: 27134

Required Travel: 0 - 10%

Employment Type: Full Time/Salaried/Exempt

Anticipated Salary Range: $92,760.00 - $145,000.00

Security Clearance: Ability to Obtain

Level of Experience: Mid

This opportunity resides with Warfare Systems (WS) , a business group within HII's Mission Technologies division. Warfare Systems comprises cyber and mission IT; electronic warfare; and C5ISR systems.

HII works within our nation's intelligence and cyber operations communities to defend our interests in cyberspace and anticipate emerging threats. Our capabilities in cybersecurity, network architecture, reverse engineering, software and hardware development uniquely enable us to support sensitive missions for the U.S. military and federal agency partners.

Meet HII's Mission Technologies Division
Our team of more than 7,000 professionals worldwide delivers all-domain expertise and advanced technologies in service of mission partners across the globe. Mission Technologies is leading the next evolution of national defense - the data evolution - by accelerating a breadth of national security solutions for government and commercial customers. Our capabilities range from C5ISR, AI and Big Data, cyber operations and synthetic training environments to fleet sustainment, environmental remediation and the largest family of unmanned underwater vehicles in every class. Find the role that's right for you. Apply today. We look forward to meeting you.

To learn more about Mission Technologies, click here for a short video:

Job Description

HII, Mission Technologies has an opportunity available for a highly experienced Senior Coatings Process Engineer / Subject Matter Expert (SME) to support the development of advanced polymer-based coatings for DoD and commercial applications, including high-temperature and ablative thermal-protection elastomers.

The opportunity will focuse on providing expert guidance across formulation, scale-up, and production readiness. The ideal candidate brings deep knowledge of MIL-Spec coating requirements and a proven track record of developing, qualifying, and launching high-performance coating systems.

We are open to considering full-time and/or part-time applicants.

• Level 3 Engineer: $92,760 - $132,514
• Level 4 Engineer: $114,966 - $164,237

Essential Job Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary technical advisor for coating formulation, processing, and production.
• Guide equipment selection, facility layout, and production-line setup for coatings manufacturing.
• Review and refine formulation strategies to ensure compliance with MIL-Spec and other relevant standards.
• Support identification of target customers, programs, and applications within defense markets.
• Oversee qualification testing, conformance testing, and regulatory compliance activities.
• Define scale-up pathways, raw-material sourcing strategies, and best practices for efficient, repeatable production.
• Act as a technical liaison between internal teams, suppliers, and external partners to ensure alignment across development and manufacturing.
• Contribute to market strategy, product positioning, and competitive differentiation in CONOCONUS defense and commercial coatings markets.
• Identify, troubleshoot, and resolve technical or operational issues that may impact production quality or throughput.
• Support R&D activities, including testing, evaluation, documentation, and reporting for new coating technologies and elastomeric systems.

Minimum Qualifications

• Level 3 - 5 years relevant experience with Bachelors in related field; 3 years relevant experience with Masters in realted field; 0 years experience with PhD or Juris Doctorate in related field; or High School Diploma or equivalent and 9 years relevant experience.
• Level 4 - 9 years relevant experience with Bachelors in related field; 7 years relevant experience with Masters in related field; 4 years relevant experience with PhD or Juris Doctorate in realted field; or High School Diploma or equivalent and 13 years relevant experience.
• 5+ years of experience working within government and/or defense with similar product lines - specifically with MIL-Spec coating systems.
• Strong understanding of the coatings supply chain, qualification process, and customer expectations.
• Demonstrated experience launching or advising on new coating lines or products.
• Background in chemistry, chemical engineering, coatings technology, or a related field.

Physical Requirements

• May require working in an office, industrial, shipboard, or laboratory environment. Capable of climbing ladders and tolerating confined spaces and extreme temperature variances.

HII is more than a job - it's an opportunity to build a new future. We offer competitive benefits such as best-in-class medical, dental and vision plan choices; wellness resources; employee assistance programs; Savings Plan Options (401(k)); financial planning tools, life insurance; employee discounts; paid holidays and paid time off; tuition reimbursement; as well as early childhood and post-secondary education scholarships. Bonother non-recurrent compensation is occasionally offered for qualified positions, and if applicable to this role will be addressed by the recruiter at the screening phase of application.

Why HII
We build the world's most powerful, survivable naval ships and defense technology solutions that safeguard our seas, sky, land, space and cyber. Our workforce includes skilled tradespeople; artificial intelligence, machine learning (AI/ML) experts; engineers; technologists; scientists; logistics experts; and business administration professionals.

Recognized as one of America's top large company employers, we are a values and ethics driven organization that puts people's safety and well-being first. Regardless of your role or where you serve, at HII, you'll find a supportive and welcoming environment, competitive benefits, and valuable educational and training programs for continual career growth at every stage of your career.

Together we are working to ensure a future where everyone can be free and thrive.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, physical or mental disability, age, or veteran status or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law.

Do You Need Assistance?
If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please send an e-mail to and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Reasonable accommodations are considered on a case-by-case basis. Please note that only those inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address. Additionally, you may also call 1- for assistance. Press #3 for HII Mission Technologies.