Materials Engineer

Meta Reality Labs is at the forefront of developing next-generation augmented reality (AR) products. As a Lead Materials Engineer specializing in Advanced Optical Materials and Coatings, you will play a critical role in shaping the future of AR display technologies. Your primary responsibility will be to drive the end-to-end development, integration, and optimization of advanced materials—including thin film optical coatings, adhesives, and substrates—that are fundamental to high-performance AR hardware.
You will leverage your technical expertise in materials science to design, characterize, and refine these materials, ensuring they meet stringent optical, mechanical, and reliability requirements. Working in close partnership with cross-functional teams across engineering, manufacturing, and field operations, you will translate complex business and product needs into innovative, scalable technical solutions. This includes defining success criteria, solving challenging technical problems, and ensuring seamless integration of materials into both components and subcomponents.
Your leadership and collaborative approach will be essential throughout the product development lifecycle, from concept to mass production. By staying at the cutting edge of materials research and applying a creative, solution-oriented approach, you will help Meta deliver industry-leading optical performance and enable the next generation of AR and Smart Glasses products. Your broad understanding of materials—extending well beyond coatings—will be key to unlocking new capabilities and setting new standards in AR hardware.Materials Engineer Responsibilities

• Design and develop thin film optical coatings and advanced materials for high-volume manufacturing, addressing requirements such as angular and spectral transmission control, polarization, phase control, reliability, and cost
• Develop and optimize coating and materials processes, including vacuum deposition techniques (PVD, CVD, ALD), wet coatings, and other relevant methods
• Characterize and analyze the performance of thin film coatings and advanced materials using techniques such as spectroscopy, ellipsometry, and other industry-standard or custom-developed methods
• Innovate and adapt characterization methodologies, creatively modifying or inventing new approaches when existing tools are insufficient
• Develop and execute validation and verification activities for new product integration, ensuring all requirements and functions are met for coatings and other advanced materials
• Lead root cause analysis for field failures, utilizing advanced chemical and physical analysis to identify and resolve issues across coatings and other advanced materials
• Troubleshoot coating-related issues and provide in depth technical support to manufacturing teams
• Provide technical leadership throughout the lifecycle of coatings and advanced materials, from proof of concept through to mass production, including deposition and reliability testing
• Communicate findings, recommendations, and technical insights clearly to stakeholders, driving alignment and continuous improvement across teams
• Guide and coordinate cross-functional teams to ensure rapid, cohesive problem-solving and effective implementation of solutions in manufacturing environments
• Collaborate with internal teams and external industry partners to integrate coating and materials designs into larger systems, ensuring compatibility and alignment with project goals

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Materials Science, Optical Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, or a related field
• 8+ years of industry experience in thin film coatings and/or advanced optical materials development for high-volume manufacturing
• Expertise in optical coatings, noble materials, and advanced materials, including design, deposition and characterization
• Experience in the integration of coatings and advanced materials into complex hardware systems, from concept through mass production
• Experience guiding cross-functional teams and collaborating with internal and external partners to deliver solutions in a manufacturing environment
• Proven technical leadership and communication skills, with the ability to clearly convey complex findings and drive alignment across stakeholders

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD in Materials Science, Optical Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, or a related field
• Experience with AR/VR display technologies, waveguides, or diffractive optics
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement innovative characterization methods, including adapting or inventing new approaches when standard tools are insufficient
• Proven track record of leading root cause analysis and troubleshooting for field failures using advanced chemical and physical analysis techniques
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