Coatings Engineer - Plant 4 at Howmet Aerospace in Whitehall, MI

This Coatings Engineer position will be in our Plant 4, Thermatech Coatings Operation and will support manufacturing through process control, improvement initiatives, and assume direct responsibility for integrity for assigned products.  This position will also establish and maintain external & internal customer associate documents; prepare part-specific work instructions; maintain knowledge of job cost; and develop/implement appropriate plans to improve profitability.

Job Responsibilities

This position is responsible for developing robust processes that consistently meet or exceed our customers’ requirements for the metallurgical quality and performance of aerospace components.  Also, continuous improvement of processes by improving methods and developing new methods of manufacturing, leading to increased yields and reduced labor content. 

• External customer escapes - Investigates and analyzes root cause; Develops and implements correction action plans.
• Part qualification and re-qualification – Works with customers to qualify new parts to be coated at Thermatech. Determines and supports manufacturing requirements necessary to meet customer requirements; Performs metallurgical investigations; Assembles process documentation per customer requirements.
• Process Development and Improvement - Monitors/analyzes yield, labor, and materials data to develop process improvement ideas for new and established processes.
• Manufacturing Support - Monitors manufacturing output to ensure process control; Responds to manufacturing needs: training, work instructions and interpretation; Creates and updates work instructions needed to perform manufacturing processes.
• General Technical Support - Conducts meetings and provides technical data to meet customer needs. 
• NPI Concurrent Engineering - Conducts meetings with customers to review design concepts.
• Quotation Prep - Develops material, scrap and labor costs for cost modeling.
• Tooling Development and Build - Attends NPI meeting and provides input based on customer specifications for BOM, routings and milestone plans.

Job Roles 

• Systems thinker--sees the business and its operation holistically; understands actions and reactions; considers multiple pathways of potential effect before decisions; thinks strategically about interventions with an eye toward scale
• Optimizer--constantly challenging the organization to work smarter; supports others to ensure they have what they need to do their work successfully
• Anticipation--looks ahead to minimize potential issues and maximize advantages; prepares others for what comes next
• Operational accelerator--drives continuous improvement; understands ramifications of automation and other advances; advocates for safety, ergonomics and scalable solutions
• Organization and structure--works within existing structures while striving to improve and standardize them; provides accurate information; galvanizes others toward common goals
• Influence--leverages knowledge, relationship, data and perspective to persuade, educate and navigate; gains buy in and adoption of ideas and practices at scale; interacts with a variety of stakeholders
• Data informed--focused on things that drive quantifiable business outcomes; evaluates based on quantitative feedback; knows and explains the “why” behind actions
• Prioritized reaction--handles the unexpected without losing sight of important objectives; reacts where greatest leverage points exist
• Relationship--connects individually and with teams across shifts and practices; builds rapport and commonality; creates a “win together” ethic; serves as liaison between shop floor and engineering; keeps the pulse of the floor; helps people feel heard

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from an accredited institution
• Employees must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical, Materials, Mechanical or Metallurgical Engineering from an accredited institution
• Previous internship or co-op experience in a manufacturing environment or lab environment
• Experience with investment casting, aerospace coatings (CVD, EB-PVD, Thermal Spray), grit blasting, electroplating and/or chemical surface cleaning
• Strong verbal, written, and analytical skills
• Knowledge of MS Office, PowerBI, Minitab
• Able to work in a self-directed or team environment and have strong organizational skills
• Knowledge of Lean Six Sigma, statistical analysis, and scientific methods for problem solving