Mechanical Engineer 2 - Power Systems Materials Manufacturing

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory•Richland, WA

12d

About The Position

The Applied Materials and Manufacturing Group in the Energy Processes and Materials Division at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is seeking a Mechanical Engineer to lead experimental process development for power systems materials, including conductors and magnets. The role develops operating conditions and process envelopes for power system materials with enhanced performance using advanced manufacturing platforms such as shear/friction extrusion, friction stir welding and forging, friction stir additive manufacturing, and cold spray. The engineer collaborates with process engineers, manufacturing experts, and materials researchers to translate experimental findings into documented operating recommendations. The successful candidate will build technical specialization in thermomechanical process development and contribute to research planning and publications. The position is part of PNNL’s Energy and Environment Directorate, which develops science and technology solutions for energy and environmental challenges. The Energy Processes and Materials Division supports national energy security through technology development and scale-up in areas including advanced materials manufacturing, energy storage, applied catalysis, separations, biomass conversion, carbon capture and utilization, and hydrogen production and storage. PNNL offers an exciting research environment and benefits including health insurance and flexible work schedules. The laboratory is located in eastern Washington State. The position’s stated pay range is USD $89,300 to $131,200 per year; actual placement depends on relevant job-related skills, qualifications, and experience.

Requirements

BS/BA and 2 years of relevant experience, or an MS/MA, or a PhD.
Relevant experience in friction stir welding, metal extrusion, metal drawing, rolling, friction extrusion, or related solid-phase processing technologies.
Experience with mechanical design, tooling design, and CAD.

Nice To Haves

Research experience in experimental manufacturing, metal forming, or thermomechanical processing, particularly shear-assisted process extrusion.
Experience planning controlled experiments and analyzing quantitative process and materials data.
Familiarity with instrumentation, process data acquisition, and evaluation of experimental uncertainty.
Ability to document technical findings and collaborate across engineering, materials science, and operations.
Hands-on experience commissioning or developing processes on research or pilot equipment.
Publications or demonstrated research contributions in manufacturing process development.

Responsibilities

Design experiments to evaluate operating parameters, tooling designs, manufacturing configurations, and feedstock conditions, using statistical experimental design where appropriate.
Design tooling using CAD and coordinate its development with external or internal manufacturing facilities or vendors.
Investigate process stability and product quality to develop frameworks for operational controls.
Develop process windows and document the evidence, limitations, and repeatability supporting recommended conditions.
Work with process engineers to design and deploy digital twin technologies that integrate physics-based models, real-time operational data, and advanced analytics to improve manufacturing performance and resilience.
Communicate results through technical summaries, project reports, conference presentations, journal articles, and other technical manuscripts.
Contribute to research planning and publications.
Develop interns, post-bachelor’s, post-master’s, and post-doctorates.