Senior Coatings Process Engineer (Thermal Spray)
About The Position
The Senior Process Engineer serves as the technical leader for overlay coating applications supporting the manufacturing and repair of high-pressure gas turbine components. Reporting to the Engineering Manager, this role is responsible for sustaining, optimizing, and advancing specialized coating processes including EB-PVD (Electron Beam Physical Vapor Deposition) and thermal spray technologies. This position plays a critical role in ensuring process capability, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement across coating and related treatment operations. The Senior Process Engineer partners cross-functionally with Operations, Quality, Maintenance, and Product Engineering to deliver safe, repeatable, and cost-effective solutions in a highly regulated aerospace environment. Due to government regulation only US persons (U.S. citizen, U.S. naturalized citizen, U.S. permanent resident, holder of U.S. approved political asylee or refugee status) may be considered for this role.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, or related technical discipline.
- 8+ years of experience in coating manufacturing environments, with direct experience in PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition), thermal spray is preferred.
- Strong understanding of metallurgical principles, turbine component repair processes, and special process controls.
- Demonstrated experience in root cause analysis, process validation, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Ability to work cross-functionally in a fast-paced, regulated manufacturing environment.
- Strong technical writing and communication skills.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in CAD software preferred (Siemens NX).
- Experience with vacuum technology a plus.
Responsibilities
- Lead the technical ownership of EB-PVD and thermal spray overlay coating processes for production and repair of gas turbine components.
- Ensure compliance with internal quality systems, customer requirements, and industry standards (e.g., NADCAP, OEM specifications).
- Monitor and analyze process performance metrics (yield, scrap, rework, throughput, cost drivers) and implement corrective actions to improve capability and stability.
- Serve as the primary technical resource for troubleshooting equipment, coating defects, metallurgical issues, and process deviations.
- Drive root cause analysis and corrective/preventive actions using structured problem-solving methodologies (e.g., 8D, RCCA, PFMEA).
- Support capital equipment planning, commissioning, validation, and process qualification for new coating systems or upgrades.
- Lead new product introduction (NPI) and program launches, ensuring robust process readiness, documentation, and training prior to production release.
- Participate in cross-functional design and repair development reviews to ensure manufacturability and process compatibility.
- Author and maintain technical documentation including work instructions, process specifications, validation reports, and training materials.
- Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior engineers and operations personnel.
- Identify and implement cost reduction opportunities related to materials, energy consumption, cycle time, and equipment utilization.
- Support audits (internal, customer, and regulatory) and present technical justifications as required.
- Promote a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement within the engineering and operations teams.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
