Global Manufacturing SME, Welding, Brazing & Surface Finishing

Johnson Controls•San Antonio, TX

1d•$112,100 - $187,100•Hybrid

About The Position

The Joining & Surface Finishing Technologies SME is Johnson Controls' global technical authority for the joining and surface finishing processes that hold its products together and protect them for the field — robotic and automated welding (arc/resistance), automated brazing and leak-proof joint validation, and protective coatings and finishing (e-coat/powder coat, corrosion protection for outdoor-rated equipment). Operating within the newly established global Advanced Manufacturing PPO and reporting to the VP of Advanced Manufacturing, this role sets the enterprise standards, owns the technology roadmap, and defines the best practices that govern how Johnson Controls joins and finishes its key products across every region and plant. This is a hands-on, front-line role: the SME is expected to be at Gemba — on the plant floor, at the weld cell, at the coating line — not behind a desk, personally driving problem solving and results rather than delegating them. The role is deliberately positioned at the intersection of day-to-day plant operations, product engineering, and the global supply base — close enough to the shop floor to understand real constraints, close enough to engineering to influence design for manufacturability and durability, and close enough to suppliers of welding, brazing, and coating equipment to guarantee incoming capability. Success requires deep, hands-on technical mastery across joining and finishing disciplines; the credibility and influence to set direction across a global network without direct line authority; an intense, urgent focus on delivering substantial, measurable improvements in safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost rather than incremental activity; and the ability to experiment quickly, prove out solutions at a single line or plant, and then scale what works decisively across locations and regions.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Welding Engineering, Materials/Metallurgical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field (Welding Engineering 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 (e.g., resistance, MIG/MAG, TIG, laser, brazing) including leak-proof joint validation for refrigerant or pressure-bearing assemblies
Working knowledge of protective coating and finishing processes (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 to influence design for manufacturability, joinability, and long-term durability/corrosion resistance
Experience qualifying, developing, and managing a global or multi-regional supplier base for welding/brazing equipment and consumables, and/or coating and finishing lines
Willingness and ability to travel internationally (approximately 30–50%) to plants and suppliers, with an expectation of spending the majority of time on the plant floor rather than in the office
Track record of being personally hands-on at Gemba — leading problem solving on the floor, not just directing it from a distance — with a demonstrated sense of urgency in closing out safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost issues
Demonstrated ability to pilot a solution quickly at one line or plant and then scale it successfully across multiple locations and regions, rather than pursuing lengthy, purely analytical rollouts
Welding metallurgy and failure analysis (fatigue, distortion, porosity, cracking)
Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS), Procedure Qualification Records (PQR), and welder/operator qualification
International and industry welding codes and standards (e.g., AWS D1.1, ISO 3834, ASME Section IX, EN 1090)
Leak-test methods and acceptance criteria for refrigerant/pressure joints (e.g., helium, pressure decay) and other relevant non-destructive testing (VT, RT, UT, MT, PT)
Protective coating and finishing fundamentals (e-coat, powder coat) and corrosion-protection design principles
Automation and robotics fundamentals as applied to welding, joining, and coating lines
Financial acumen sufficient to build the business case for capital investment and new technology adoption
Ability to challenge, and be challenged by, plant, engineering, and supplier technical experts as a peer authority

Nice To Haves

AWS Certified Welding Engineer (CWEng) or Certified Welding Inspector (CWI); International Welding Engineer (IWE) credential through the IIW
Experience with robotic/automated welding cells and digital or Industry 4.0 weld and coating-line process monitoring
Direct experience with e-coat or powder coat line qualification, corrosion testing (e.g., salt spray, cyclic corrosion), and outdoor/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 exposure to diverse regulatory and cultural operating environments

Responsibilities

Define, publish, and govern the global standards, specifications, and procedures that apply across all Johnson Controls plants for: robotic and automated welding (arc/resistance) and brazing, including welding/brazing procedure specifications and leak-proof joint validation for refrigerant and pressure-bearing joints; and protective coatings and finishing (e-coat/powder coat, corrosion protection for outdoor-rated equipment). Ensure alignment with applicable codes and international standards, and establish the audit and governance mechanisms that keep every site compliant and consistent.
Own and continuously refresh the multi-year global technology roadmap spanning joining and surface finishing. Evaluate and pilot emerging technologies — automated/robotic welding and brazing, leak-proof joint validation methods, adaptive process control, digital/Industry 4.0 weld and coating-line monitoring, and next-generation e-coat/powder coat and corrosion-protection systems — and drive their adoption where they create the greatest enterprise value.
Identify, codify, and deploy joining and finishing best practices across the global plant network. Partner with plant, regional, and business-system teams to close performance gaps in weld/braze quality, leak integrity, coating durability and corrosion performance, cost, throughput, and first-time-right execution — building a common global playbook rather than site-by-site solutions. Favor rapid experimentation over lengthy analysis: pilot new standards, technologies, and practices quickly at a single line or plant, prove out the result, and then scale successful solutions decisively across other locations and regions rather than re-solving the same problem repeatedly.
Serve as the primary technical liaison between product engineering and manufacturing, ensuring new designs are manufacturable, joinable, and finishable/durable from the earliest stages — including corrosion protection requirements for outdoor-rated equipment. Qualify, develop, and audit the global supply base for welding/brazing equipment and consumables and for coating/finishing lines (e-coat, powder coat) to guarantee that the best available technology and capability reach Johnson Controls' products.
Build joining and surface-finishing technical capability across the network through training, certification pathways, and hands-on mentoring of plant and engineering talent. Act as the escalation point and final technical authority for the most complex welding, brazing, joint-leak, and coating/corrosion problems — leading root-cause investigations and ensuring fixes are sustained, not just applied.
Spend the majority of working time at Gemba — on the plant floor, at the weld/braze cell, at the coating line — rather than remotely directing work from a desk. Personally lead problem solving on the highest-priority safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost issues with a visible sense of urgency, and hold self and others accountable for converting standards and roadmaps into substantial, measurable results, not just documented plans.