Product Engineer

Kaiser Aluminum • Spokane Valley, WA

11h • $10,000 - $130,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Product Engineer serves as the primary technical and quality conduit between outside customers and internal sales, marketing, and production functions. The Product Engineer’s essential functions include providing technical/metallurgical support to plant, inside sales, outside sales, and customer (direct and end user) personnel as required. They act as the principal liaison between customer and plant on quality and technical issues. This role involves developing and implementing metallurgical practices to support product development, quality, and recovery efforts, and providing quality assurance support by dispositioning quarantined metal, claims, and discrepant shipments to maintain high quality levels and customer satisfaction. The Product Engineer will perform manufacturing investigations on suspect product, maintain compliance to customer and industry specifications, and review incoming specifications for acceptability. They will also initiate and execute qualification programs, review and authorize requests for recertification, and monitor and audit vendor activities. Compliance with all Safety, Quality, and Environmental Regulations is mandatory.

Requirements

• An undergraduate degree in metallurgy or materials science is required.
• 5 years relevant experience in the aluminum or related (e.g., aerospace) industry.
• Excellent problem solving, investigative, experimental, and statistical analysis skills.
• Project management experience.
• Strong PC skills, including Windows, Word, Excel, and various data collection and analysis packages to be self sufficient in analysis and report writing.
• Clear understanding of specification and industry requirements.
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) and organizational skills.
• Proven ability to work in teams.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Be energetic, disciplined and focused on a team building operational organization.
• Have well developed interpersonal and business partnering skills, with the ability to quickly adapt to, be accepted by, and interrelate with the organization at all levels.
• Be willing to work flexible hours.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced Degree preferred.
• 10+ years preferred experience in the aluminum or related (e.g., aerospace) industry.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical/metallurgical support to plant, inside sales, outside sales, and customer (direct and end user) personnel as required.
• Act as principal liaison between customer and plant on quality and technical issues.
• Develop and implement metallurgical practices as necessary to support efforts in product development, quality, recovery, etc.
• Provide quality assurance support. Disposition quarantined metal, claims, discrepant shipments, etc., as necessary in order to sustain "Best in Class" levels of quality and promote customer satisfaction.
• Perform manufacturing investigations on suspect product.
• Maintain compliance to customer and industry specifications. Ensure correct practices, sampling, testing, etc. are associated with each specification. Review incoming specifications for acceptability withing existing metallurgical practices.
• Initiate and execute qualification programs where appropriate, as determined by plant capabilities, customer requirements, and market justification.
• Review and authorize requests for recertification.
• Monitor and audit (as required) vendor activities.
• Comply with all Safety, Quality, and Environmental Regulations.

Benefits

• High deductible medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance, including spouse and children (modest payroll deductions)
• 10 paid holidays per year
• Vacation - 3 weeks
• Supplemental leave (used in conjunction with Washington Paid Family & Medical Leave)
• 401K with matching company funds
• Quarterly bonus structure
• Tuition reimbursement

What This Job Offers

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