Senior Materials Engineer, Paint and Plating

RTX•Tucson, AZ

48d•Onsite

About The Position

The Process Development and Efficiency section of the Materials and Process Engineering Department is seeking an individual with technical expertise in Corrosion, Paint, Plating, and Metal Finishing to support all phases of product design and production for military and defense applications. The applicant should have a solid understanding in design for corrosion prevention and manufacturability, process selection and optimization, assessing supplier capability, failure analysis and report writing, developing painting procedures for different base materials and surface treatments, establishing inspection processes/criteria, training operators and inspectors, and experience in supplier manufacturing processes. A qualified candidate should have technical knowledge and experience developing, working with, and approving paint, coatings, and surface finishing for in-house (make) capabilities as well as at Supplier (buy) partners. This position will require travel for up to 50% of the time (domestic and international).

Requirements

University Degree or equivalent experience and minimum 5 years prior relevant experience, or An Advanced Degree in a related field and minimum 3 years experience.
Experience in painting, coatings, plating, and surface finishing (i.e. procedure development and testing, operator/inspector training, fabrication problem solving and inspection).
Experience in metallurgy, and/or galvanic corrosion, and/or protective corrosion coatings.
Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government issued security clearance.
U.S. citizenship is required.
Active and existing security clearance required after day 1.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry, Mechanical, Manufacturing or Chemical Engineering.
Experience as a technical liaison between engineering, manufacturing, and quality organizations.
Experience in interpreting engineering drawings, defense specifications and other technical material and then translating into practical procedural instructions.
Hands-on painting experience of either commercial or military hardware.
Working knowledge of Military and Commercial Paint and Plating, or Surface Finishing Specifications.
Working knowledge of European (ISO) Painting and Plating Specifications.
Must be self-motivated and possess good communication skills.
Desire and ability to work as a team member is essential.
Must be adaptable and willing to work in all project phases from design concepts through manufacturing.
Practical knowledge of metal processing operations and surface treatments.
Demonstrated problem solving skills with the ability to identify root cause and implement appropriate corrective/preventative actions in a manufacturing environment.
Experienced in developing finishing processes for aluminum, structural carbon steel, stainless steel, titanium, and nickel alloys.
Knowledge of Design of Experiments, Six Sigma and statistical techniques.
Experienced in auditing coating processes and working with suppliers.
Proven mentoring and teamwork skills.
Conversation skills in foreign languages are a plus.

Responsibilities

Support all phases of product design and production for military and defense applications.
Develop painting procedures for different base materials and surface treatments.
Establish inspection processes/criteria.
Train operators and inspectors.
Develop, work with, and approve paint, coatings, and surface finishing for in-house capabilities.
Develop, work with, and approve paint, coatings, and surface finishing at Supplier (buy) partners.
Auditing coating processes and working with suppliers.