Piezoelectric Ceramic Engineer - Ceramic Processing and Sintering

Interaction 24•State College, PA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

InterAction24 is hiring a full-time Piezoelectric Ceramic Engineer for an advanced piezoelectric materials manufacturer in central Pennsylvania (State College area). This is a direct-hire, 1st shift position. The components made here are custom-engineered piezoelectric materials that go into medical ultrasound imaging, semiconductor equipment, and industrial sensing. This role focuses on the material itself, allowing the engineer to work hands-on with ceramic processing.

Requirements

BS in Materials Science and Engineering, Ceramic Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related field.
Strong working knowledge of powder synthesis, forming methods, and thermal processing.
Hands-on experience with SEM, EDS, and XRD for microstructural and phase analysis.
U.S. Person status is required: U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.

Nice To Haves

Hands-on ceramic processing experience with piezoelectric oxides such as PZT or other lead-based systems.
Familiarity with electrode techniques (sputtering, screen printing, plating) and ceramic-metal integration.
Electrical characterization: impedance analysis, ferroelectric and piezoelectric testing.
Minitab.
3 or more years in a manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

Develop, optimize, and scale the processing of lead-based piezoelectric ceramics, bridging R&D and production.
Develop and optimize ceramic processing routes: powder synthesis, milling, spray drying, uniaxial and isostatic pressing, wet and dry green forming.
Establish sintering schedules and thermal processing conditions to hit target microstructures and electromechanical properties.
Characterize materials for density, grain size, phase purity, and dielectric and piezoelectric performance, then correlate results back to processing parameters.
Run powder and microstructural characterization using particle size distribution, SEM, EDS, and XRD.
Execute process trials, drive root cause analysis, and implement corrective actions that move quality, consistency, and yield.
Scale laboratory processes to pilot and full production while holding cost and efficiency targets.
Apply SPC and control charts to monitor and optimize production performance.
Document results, write technical reports, and present findings to cross-functional teams and management.