Senior Manager - Research

U. S. Steel•Munhall, PA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

U. S. Steel is seeking a Senior Manager, Product Development to lead a team of highly educated product development engineers who develop and commercialize new steel grades, improve existing products, and solve the most challenging mill and customer problems. This leader is accountable for two connected responsibilities: delivering the product development portfolio through the stage-gate process using agile methods, and directing the Request for Research Services (RFRS) process, in which product development engineers and our Research laboratories partner to reach root cause on difficult mill and trade issues. The Senior Manager is a technical and people leader who combines deep steel metallurgy knowledge with sound business judgment. The role partners closely with Program Management, mills and finishing locations, Application Engineering, Commercial, and Research, and is expected to bring modern digital and AI-enabled ways of working to how steel products are designed, qualified, and supported.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in materials science, metallurgy, metallurgical engineering, or a related technical field; a master’s degree or PhD is preferred.
15 or more years of steel industry experience, including significant product development experience taking products from concept through qualification and commercialization.
Strong knowledge of steel products, ferrous metallurgy, microstructure development, and steel manufacturing and finishing processes.
Demonstrated experience leading technical professionals and multidisciplinary teams, setting priorities, developing talent, and delivering results through others.
Experience with stage-gate governance, risk management, resource planning, and budget development.
Proven ability to lead root cause investigations of complex mill or customer issues and to mobilize cross-functional teams to resolve them.
Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to influence technical teams, plant operations, customers, and senior leaders.

Nice To Haves

Hands-on or leadership experience applying AI, machine learning, or advanced data analytics to materials, manufacturing, or quality problems, or a clear record of championing new digital tools within a technical team.
Working familiarity with agile methods (for example Scrum or Kanban) applied to technical or R&D work; agile or project management certification is a plus.
Experience with hot strip mill processing, continuous annealing and galvanizing lines, and advanced high-strength steels.
Experience with process simulation, computational materials tools, and laboratory characterization techniques.
Experience with automotive, tubular, or other trade customer qualification and technical support.

Responsibilities

Lead, coach, and develop a team of product development engineers, building technical depth, accountability, and a strong pipeline of future leaders.
Translate business and technology priorities into clear team goals, resource plans, and measurable performance expectations.
Contribute to annual budget development and manage people, spending, and equipment resources to deliver the portfolio.
Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, knowledge sharing, and technical excellence across organizational boundaries.
Own delivery of the product development portfolio, from concept through qualification and commercialization, in line with the stage-gate process and approved scope, schedule, risk, and business objectives.
Facilitate stage-gate execution using agile methods, including backlog prioritization, sprint or iteration planning, regular reviews, and transparent progress reporting, in partnership with Program Management.
Monitor project health, identify technical and execution risks early, and lead recovery plans with mills, finishing locations, Application Engineering, Commercial, and Research when milestones slip.
Guide material design recommendations, including steel composition and processing routes that use existing, new, or upgraded manufacturing facilities.
Establish standard methods for laboratory investigation, process simulation, and plant trials to support new grade development and existing grade improvement.
Improve the manufacturability, quality, and key performance characteristics of existing products.
Manage the RFRS process end to end: intake, triage, prioritization, resourcing, investigation, and closure of challenging mill and trade-related issues.
Direct product development engineers working with Research laboratories to reach root cause, define corrective actions, and communicate findings clearly to mill, customer, and commercial stakeholders.
Track RFRS cycle time, backlog, and outcomes, and use the lessons learned to prevent recurrence and inform future product and process design.
Champion practical use of AI, machine learning, and data analytics in steel product development, such as alloy and process design, property prediction, defect and root cause analysis, and mining of historical mill, lab, and customer data.
Evaluate and adopt AI tools, including generative AI and coding assistants, that improve engineer productivity, technical documentation, and knowledge capture, with attention to data quality, validation, and responsible use.
Integrate AI with established metallurgical tools such as process simulation, computational thermodynamics, and integrated computational materials engineering (ICME), keeping human technical judgment at the center of decisions.
Build team capability by coaching engineers on data literacy and AI-assisted workflows, and partner with Research, IT, and data science groups to scale what works.