Senior Manufacturing Engineer – Printed Circuit Heat Exchangers

Aalo Atomics•Austin, TX

4d•$100,000•Onsite

About The Position

As a Senior Manufacturing Engineer for Printed Circuit Heat Exchangers (PCHEs) at Aalo Atomics, you will own PCHE production from collaborating with design engineering on development and prototyping through to repeatable, qualified manufacturing. You will be the technical authority on the floor for all processes related to PCHE production. This is a senior technical role responsible for defining and maturing Aalo's PCHE manufacturing process from process development and qualification through high-rate production.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Materials, Manufacturing, Chemical Engineering, or related discipline
5+ years of hands-on experience in manufacturing/process engineering in precision metal fabrication, heat exchangers, brazing/bonding, or pressure-boundary components
Deep working knowledge of metal joining processes — diffusion bonding, brazing, or welding — and associated metallurgy
Demonstrated ownership of manufacturing process documentation, travelers, and process specifications
Strong command of GD&T, engineering drawings, and dimensional inspection techniques
Hands-on experience qualifying production processes through First Article Inspection and production ramp
Experience executing process qualification and validation (coupon testing, metallography, pressure/leak testing)
Proven root cause / corrective action discipline (8D, 5-Why, fishbone) and data-driven problem solving
Experience successfully working cross-functionally to deliver manufacturing processes from concept through production handoff
Must be based in the United States
Must be willing to work on-site at our headquarters in Austin, Texas
Applicants must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Persons in compliance with 10 CFR Part 810 and may not hold non-compliant foreign citizenships.

Nice To Haves

Experience developing controlled processes for pressure-boundary or safety-critical hardware
Experience with cleaning, contamination control, and surface preparation for metal joining processes
Experience working with external suppliers or special-process vendors to qualify manufacturing steps
Experience in nuclear, aerospace, defense, or other highly regulated manufacturing environments (e.g., NQA-1, AS9100, ISO 13485, ISO 9001)
Direct experience with PCHE, diffusion-bonded/compact heat exchangers, or plate-fin heat exchangers
Experience with photochemical machining/etching processes
Experience with high-temperature vacuum or inert-atmosphere furnaces
Experience with HIP, vacuum hot pressing, or similar solid-state bonding processes
Familiarity with material systems relevant to compact heat exchangers such as stainless steels, nickel-base alloys, or high-temperature alloys
Hands-on ASME BPVC pressure-boundary qualification experience
Experience with NDE methods for internal channels and bond lines (RT, UT, CT, dye penetrant, He leak)
Experience in a greenfield or significant factory buildout
Knowledge of SPC, Lean, and Six Sigma methodologies
Experience integrating manufacturing processes with MES/ERP/PLM platforms
Prior experience in a vertically integrated hardware company where engineers build what they design
Comfort using data analysis, scripting, and modern AI tools to accelerate process development, documentation, and root-cause analysis.
Strong communication skills to convey technical reasoning and mission-critical messaging clearly

Responsibilities

Own process development across plate fabrication, cleaning/surface prep, stack-up, diffusion bonding, post-bond machining, final joining, and inspection
Develop and qualify diffusion bonding parameters (temperature, pressure, time, surface preparation) in partnership with materials and process engineering to achieve full parent-metal bond integrity
Develop and qualify external suppliers and special-process vendors as needed during prototype and production ramp
Author and maintain travelers, work instructions, routings, and process specifications that meet nuclear-grade documentation and code requirements
Lead process development, qualification, and production validation through design of experiments, coupon testing, bond-line metallography, dimensional verification, proof/burst testing, and helium leak testing
Specify and develop tooling, fixtures, and inspection methods to improve plate alignment, dimensional control, and throughput
Partner with Quality and NDE teams to develop inspection strategies for internal channel geometry, bond integrity, dimensional conformance, and final pressure-boundary acceptance
Establish process control plans, capability studies (Cpk), and SPC monitoring for critical-to-quality characteristics
Drive root cause analysis and corrective action for nonconformances, scrap, and rework — and turn findings into permanent process improvements
Provide design-for-manufacturability (DFM) feedback to design engineering
Drive schedule and throughput on PCHE production — identify risks early, solve problems fast, and keep qualification and production milestones on track
Support reliability and design-validation testing including thermal, pressure-cycle, and environmental testing to establish manufacturing robustness and service readiness
Specify, select, and justify capital equipment for diffusion bonding furnaces, etching, and inspection assets; support capacity and production planning
Develop and document factory standards for etching, bonding, welding, and inspection processes
Establish full material and process traceability, inspection records, and manufacturing data packages required for pressure-boundary hardware. (ASME BPVC Section VIII, NQA-1 where applicable)
Mentor junior manufacturing engineers and technicians; establish process standards and templates for factory-wide deployment