Global Manufacturing SME, Welding, Brazing & Surface Finishing

Johnson Controls•San Antonio, TX

11d•$112,100 - $187,100

About The Position

The Joining & Surface Finishing Technologies SME is Johnson Controls' global technical authority for welding, brazing, and protective coatings and finishing. Operating within the global Advanced Manufacturing PPO and reporting to the VP of Advanced Manufacturing, this role establishes enterprise standards, owns the technology roadmap, and defines practices for joining and finishing products across plants and regions. It is a hands-on, front-line position with the expectation of spending the majority of working time at Gemba, personally leading problem solving and delivering measurable improvements in safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost. The role connects plant operations, product engineering, and the global supply base. It ensures manufacturing processes and new product designs support reliable joining, leak integrity, finishability, and durability; qualifies and develops suppliers; and pilots promising solutions at individual lines or plants before scaling proven approaches across the network. The SME also builds technical capability through training, certification pathways, and mentoring, and acts as the final technical authority for complex welding, brazing, joint-leak, and coating or corrosion issues. The position requires deep practical expertise across joining processes, working knowledge of coatings and corrosion protection, the ability to influence globally without direct line authority, and an urgent, results-oriented approach to translating standards and technology plans into sustained improvements. International travel of approximately 30–50% is required, with most working time expected on plant floors rather than in an office. Success measures include publishing and deploying global standards, developing a technology roadmap, assessing plant and supplier capabilities, piloting and scaling best practices, establishing technical relationships and escalation processes, and delivering sustained, quantified improvements across the manufacturing network. The posted annual hiring salary range is $112,100–$187,100 USD, depending on qualifications and other factors. A competitive benefits package is included.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Welding Engineering, Materials or Metallurgical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field; Welding Engineering is strongly preferred.
12+ years of progressive experience in welding, brazing, or joining engineering within complex manufacturing or industrial operations, including hands-on process development and plant-floor deployment.
Deep hands-on expertise across multiple welding and joining processes, such as resistance, MIG/MAG, TIG, laser, and brazing.
Experience validating leak-proof joints for refrigerant or pressure-bearing assemblies.
ASME certification.
American Welding Society (AWS) certification.
Working knowledge of e-coat, powder coat, and corrosion-protection design for outdoor-rated equipment.
Demonstrated experience setting technical standards, specifications, or procedures adopted across multiple sites or a global network.
Experience partnering directly with product engineering on design for manufacturability, joinability, durability, and corrosion resistance.
Experience qualifying, developing, and managing a global or multi-regional supplier base for welding or brazing equipment and consumables and/or coating and finishing lines.
Willingness and ability to travel internationally approximately 30–50% to plants and suppliers, and to spend the majority of working time on plant floors.
Demonstrated hands-on Gemba problem solving and urgency in addressing safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost issues.
Demonstrated ability to pilot solutions at one line or plant and scale them successfully across multiple locations and regions.
Knowledge of welding metallurgy and failure analysis, including fatigue, distortion, porosity, and cracking.
Knowledge of Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS), Procedure Qualification Records (PQR), and welder or operator qualification.
Knowledge of relevant international and industry welding codes and standards, including examples such as AWS D1.1, ISO 3834, ASME Section IX, and EN 1090.
Knowledge of leak-test methods and acceptance criteria for refrigerant or pressure joints, such as helium and pressure decay, and relevant non-destructive testing methods, including VT, RT, UT, MT, and PT.
Knowledge of coating and finishing fundamentals and corrosion-protection design principles.
Knowledge of automation and robotics as applied to welding, joining, and coating lines.
Financial acumen sufficient to build business cases for capital investments and new technology adoption.
Ability to engage plant, engineering, and supplier technical experts as a peer authority, including challenging and being challenged.
Ability to influence technical direction across teams without direct line authority and to work across plants, engineering, and suppliers.
Ability to lead root-cause investigations, apply disciplined follow-through, and ensure solutions are sustained.

Nice To Haves

AWS Certified Welding Engineer (CWEng) or Certified Welding Inspector (CWI).
International Welding Engineer (IWE) credential through the IIW.
Experience with robotic or automated welding cells and digital or Industry 4.0 weld and coating-line process monitoring.
Direct experience qualifying e-coat or powder-coat lines and conducting corrosion testing, such as salt spray or cyclic corrosion, for outdoor or harsh-environment product durability.
Six Sigma, Lean, or equivalent continuous improvement certification.
Experience in HVAC/refrigeration, automotive, or other high-volume manufacturing environments where leak integrity and corrosion performance are critical.
Prior global or multi-country role, with experience in diverse regulatory and cultural operating environments.

Responsibilities

Define, publish, and govern global standards, specifications, and procedures for robotic and automated welding, brazing, leak-proof joint validation, protective coatings, and finishing.
Ensure standards align with applicable codes and international requirements, and establish audit and governance mechanisms to support site compliance and consistency.
Own and refresh the multi-year global technology roadmap for joining and surface finishing; evaluate, pilot, and promote valuable emerging technologies.
Identify, codify, and deploy best practices across the global plant network to improve weld and braze quality, leak integrity, coating durability, corrosion performance, cost, throughput, and first-time-right execution.
Pilot standards, technologies, and practices rapidly at a line or plant, verify results, and scale successful solutions across locations and regions.
Partner with product engineering to ensure designs are manufacturable, joinable, finishable, and durable, including appropriate corrosion protection for outdoor-rated equipment.
Qualify, develop, and audit the global supply base for welding and brazing equipment and consumables and for coating and finishing lines.
Build technical capability through training, certification pathways, and hands-on mentoring of plant and engineering personnel.
Serve as the escalation point and final technical authority for complex welding, brazing, joint-leak, coating, and corrosion problems; lead root-cause investigations and ensure corrective actions are sustained.
Spend the majority of working time at Gemba and personally lead problem solving on priority safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost issues.
Hold self and others accountable for converting standards and roadmaps into substantial, measurable results.
Establish and communicate global standards and specifications, create a technology roadmap, assess network capabilities and supplier quality, and pilot best practices as part of the stated year-one success measures.
Deploy and audit global standards and best practices, translate the technology roadmap into funded projects, establish training pathways, and deliver sustained measurable improvements as part of the stated year-two success measures.