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Part time Research and Development Engineer

Part-time

Penn State University

State College, PAPart-timePosted 5mo agoStill listed today

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At a glance

Compensation
No compensation found
Location
State College, PA
Schedule
Part-time
Work Authorization
US work authorization required

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Job overview

Penn State’s Materials Science and Applications Division is seeking a Mechanical Research and Development Engineer to support projects involving next-generation materials, processes, and microelectronics. The role focuses on manufacturing and design for critical applications, including Department of Defense needs. Work is on-site in State College, primarily at Innovation Park, with some work at campus and nearby Applied Research Laboratory buildings.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Manufacturing Processes, requiredDOD Applications, requiredAdvanced Materials, requiredProcessing Technologies, requiredAdditive Manufacturing, requiredOrganized Note-Taking, requiredCommunication, requiredTeamwork, requiredR&D Program Management, nice to haveMicroelectronics, nice to haveR&D Program Development, nice to have

Qualifications

Ability to Obtain Clearance, requiredU.S. Citizenship, requiredBackground Check, requiredPre-Employment Drug Screen, required

Full job description

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

  • CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

  • CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

  • If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click “Apply” and complete the application process for external applicants.

Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.

JOB DESCRIPTION AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS The Materials Science and Applications (MSA) Division in the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) is seeking a motivated candidate to fill the role of Mechanical Research and Development Engineer. You will become part of a team conducting a wide range of R&D projects involving next-generation materials and processes, focused on meeting the needs of critical applications. The MSA Division works with a broad range of materials, including polymers, metals, ceramics, and semiconductor materials. The team also emphasizes the development of advanced manufacturing methods that enable the transition of these materials to real-world applications.

Typical duties of a Research & Development Engineer include:

  • Supporting the development of R&D programs to support critical DOD assets

  • Providing subject matter expertise in the area of manufacturing and design of microelectronics

  • Develop application specific test methods to evaluate the performance of DOD specific microelectronic devices.

  • Define critical performance metrics critical to the performance novel microelectronics in DOD applications

Required skills and experience include:

  • Background knowledge of manufacturing processes need to produce and transition critical DOD components

  • Detailed knowledge of DOD applications that can benefit from advancer materials and processing technologies

  • Experience with the design, development and manufacturing of additively manufactured components.

  • Ability to maintain organized and detailed notes

  • Good communication skills

  • Willingness to work in a fast-paced team environment

Preferred skills/experience include:

  • Experience in managing and executing R&D programs

  • Advance knowledge of DOD applications that would benefit from new microelectronic technologies

  • Ability to develop and execute R&D programs.

Your working location will be on-site in State College, PA. This position will be mostly located at the 230 Building at Innovation Park (along the campus shuttle via Beaver Ave) with some work being performed at the Millennium Science Complex (MSC) on campus and other ARL buildings surrounding campus.

BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.

All positions at ARL require candidates to possess the ability to obtain a government security clearance; you will be notified during the interview process if this position is subject to a government background investigation. You must be a U.S. citizen to apply. Employment with the ARL will require successful completion of a pre-employment drug screen. CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASR is available for review here.

EEO IS THE LAW Penn State is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. If you are unable to use our online application process due to an impairment or disability, please contact 814-865-1473.

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How this job compares

Set against the 7,635 open Mechanical Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 10, 2026.

Pay
  • This postingNot listed
  • Pennsylvania median$93–143K/yr137 salary ranges
  • US median$45–58/hr390 hourly ranges
Openings
Olive Jobs lists 305 open Mechanical Engineer jobs in Pennsylvania and 7,635 across the US. 2% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in Pennsylvania
Experience
Mechanical Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for 5 years of experience at the median; the middle half ask for 3 to 8 years (6,365 postings).
Education
5,220 of the 7,635 open Mechanical Engineer jobs (68%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 10, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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