Prin. Materials & Process Engineer

Principal Materials and Process Engineer

The ideal candidate utilizes their personal experience, knowledge, and passion to drive to true root cause to answer the question “Why?”.  Why did a product perform in a particular way?  Why did a process achieve the results it did?  Why did an existing design choose to implement the solution they did? 

The ideal candidate is a change agent – an advocate for continuous improvement – chooses to follow the “right” path rather than the “easy” path – is a senior member of the M&PE team – mentors less experienced group members, educates team members in other disciplines and is an avid learner – leads by example.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Support initiatives to identify and develop new or improved materials, processes, fabrication, and assembly techniques for new product design and manufacturing.
• Collaborate with internal customers to define production issues.
• Utilize failure analysis equipment (optical microscope, XRF, SEM, X-ray, FTIR) to determine root cause.
• Work with technical leads to understand customer and contractual requirements and supplier quality to implement solutions aligning with industry standards and practices.
• Review product against drawing specifications and determine if components meet requirements.
• Organize tasks and be a self-starter.
• Work productively within a team environment.
• Maintain responsibility and accountability for tasks/projects.
• Delivers engineered solutions in the form of presentations, white papers, and formal peer reviewed reports to design engineering.
• Supports manufacturing operations, quality functions, and supply chain as a subject matter expert providing critical input as required to meet overall business objectives.
• Participates as M&PE representative on Change Control Boards, Design Reviews, and Report and Procedure peer reviews.
• Ensures compliance with global environmental regulations.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor of Science degree in Materials Science and Engineering or Chemical Engineering
• At least 10+ years’ experience in aerospace or manufacturing industry related to Materials & Process or Chemical Engineering
• Or an advanced degree in a related field and minimum 5 years’ experience.
• Due to restrictions on access to certain technical data, all applicants to this position must fit the definition of “US Person”.
• Due to direct product contact, this position is expected to be an on-site role in Vergennes, VT.
• Must have proven written and spoken communication skills.
• Must be able to effectively communicate with all levels of the organization as well as suppliers and customers.
• Must be proficient with interpreting customer, industry, and internal specifications and drawings to determine product and process compliance.
• Direct experience in a wide range of materials subjects and must show expertise in at least 2-3 of the following subjects:
  1. Metals – primary processes and material selection, corrosion mechanisms and prevention
  2. Finishes – metallurgical and chemical processes
  3. Organic Coatings – corrosion protective and cosmetic
  4. Metallurgical Joining – mechanical soldering, torch/dip/induction brazing, TIG/e-beam/laser welding
  5. Plastics/Elastomers – high-performance engineering polymers, injection molded reinforced thermoplastics, elastomers and synthetic rubbers
  6. Adhesives/Sealants – structural adhesives, environmentally protective potting and encapsulation, elastomeric sealants
  7. Electronic Materials/Assemblies – assembly and joining methods and materials, environmental protection, environmental effects on electronics and electronic materials
  8. Failure Analysis – non-destructive methods, interpretation of microsections and analytical results, formal root cause determination and corrective action recommendation, coordination of outside services/labs and expert resources
  9. Product/Process Environmental Compliance – obsolescence replacement validation/qualification, product design/manufacturing process analysis