Build Engineer, Castings

Hadrian Automation • Torrance, CA

4d • $150,000 - $220,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Hadrian is seeking a Build Engineer, Castings, to own large structural castings from initial design review through qualification, production ramp, and handoff to standard production. The role determines whether castings are produced internally, purchased, or pursued through both paths. It bridges product and Capability Engineering by interpreting requirements, driving design for manufacturability, reverse engineering products when technical data is incomplete, establishing build flows, and defining the casting problem for Capability Engineering and foundries to solve.

The Build Engineer owns casting new product and process introduction end to end. The position defines how castings are made and inspected, establishes required processes, and coordinates with Design, Supply Chain, supplier foundries, Capability Engineering, Quality, and Operations. Decisions made during NPI affect casting cost, lead time, and quality throughout the product lifecycle, and the processes introduced may become capabilities used on future programs.

The role works from Hadrian’s Navy-approved steel foundry in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, which has simulation, heat treatment, NDT, metallurgical testing, and machining on site. The engineer is present on the foundry floor for first castings and owns casting outcomes for assigned products. The position may be based in Kutztown or Los Angeles, with regular travel to the foundry; applicants based in Los Angeles must be able to travel to Kutztown up to 25% of the time.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of experience in build, manufacturing, or casting engineering, with direct ownership of large castings from requirements through production.
• Bachelor’s degree in Metallurgical, Materials, Mechanical, or Manufacturing Engineering, or equivalent hands-on experience.
• Experience interpreting and defining product requirements from customer specifications, drawings, and contract quality clauses and translating them into build requirements.
• Working knowledge of large steel castings, including sand molding, heat treatment, weld repair, and casting defects, sufficient to drive DFM and set quality levels.
• Experience reverse engineering castings or cast assemblies from incomplete technical data, legacy drawings, or physical parts.
• Understanding of casting NDT methods (RT, UT, MT, and PT) and how acceptance criteria flow from product requirements.
• Experience structuring BOMs, work orders, and work instructions in PLM, ERP, or MES systems, including engineering change and configuration management.
• Strong GD&T and 3D CAD skills.
• Experience working on a foundry floor with melt, molding, heat treatment, and inspection teams, and with outside foundries on first article approval.
• Ability to work on-site in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, or be based in Los Angeles and travel to Kutztown up to 25% of the time.
• Must meet applicable U.S. Government export authorization requirements for ITAR-controlled work.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with solidification simulation software such as MAGMASOFT, ProCAST, or FLOW-3D CAST.
• Experience with HY-80, HY-100, or other high-yield steel castings for naval programs.
• Experience with Monel, nickel-aluminum bronze, stainless steel, or other difficult alloys.
• Experience with dissimilar-metal joints and cladded surfaces.
• Knowledge of casting weld repair and weld qualification (PQR/WPS).
• Familiarity with NAVSEA casting inspection requirements (T9074).
• Experience standing up a new cell, foundry, or factory while the product was still in development.

Responsibilities

• Interpret customer specifications, drawings, and contract requirements and translate them into casting requirements, quality levels, and inspection needs.
• Reverse engineer castings and cast assemblies from legacy drawings, incomplete technical data, or physical parts to establish design intent, critical zones, and a buildable sequence.
• Review models and drawings for castability, including wall thickness, section changes, draft, parting lines, datum structure, machining stock, shrinkage and porosity risk, and NDT access; drive changes before design freeze.
• Define casting problems for Capability Engineering and the foundry’s casting design and simulation team, and review gating, riser, and solidification results against product requirements.
• Define casting quality levels by zone and weld repair limits with Design and Quality.
• Own the casting route from pattern through pour, heat treatment, cleaning, NDT, weld repair, and dimensional inspection, through handoff to machining.
• Place datums and machining stock so the first machining setup works the first time.
• Define high-level processes for each operation, including alloy and condition, quality levels, heat treatment, NDT method and acceptance criteria, and cycle time against rate; hand the process to Capability Engineering complete and on time.
• Own design intent for patterns, core boxes, and inspection fixtures, with a clear owner, location, and revision record for each.
• Build and maintain BOM structures, work orders, and Opus work instructions in Hadrian’s PLM, ERP, and MES systems; own engineering change and configuration control as designs mature.
• Bring Hadrian build plans and Opus work instructions into the foundry so casting work is planned and tracked consistently with the rest of the Hadrian network.
• Work with Quality, NDT, and metallurgical lab teams to set inspection plans and acceptance criteria to customer and naval requirements.
• Recommend which castings to pour and which to buy, write technical packages for purchased castings, and assess outside foundries with Supply Chain and Quality.
• Plan and execute subscale development articles and full-scale qualification castings, including dissimilar-metal development when required, and own first article delivery.
• Own disposition and root cause for new-casting non-conformances and drive corrective actions into the design or process.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans for employees.
• 401k.
• Relocation support may be provided in certain situations, based on business need.
• Flexible vacation policy.
• Equity.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior