Senior Staff Engineer - Melting & Thermal Process
About The Position
The Senior Staff Engineer - Glass Melting / Thermal Process provides advanced technical leadership in glass melting, furnace operation, and thermal process engineering. The role focuses on improving melt quality, furnace performance, thermal efficiency, process stability, throughput, and manufacturing reliability across complex glass manufacturing systems. As a senior technical expert, this position connects deep process knowledge with business needs, manufacturing performance, and long-term capability building. It leads complex problem solving, supports major process and technology initiatives, and influences technical direction across manufacturing, R&D, quality, maintenance, and project teams. Domestic and international travel may be required, with frequency and duration varying by project stage and status and potentially reaching 50%.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Ceramic Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
- 15+ years of experience in glass melting, furnace systems, thermal process engineering, or closely related high-temperature manufacturing processes.
- Strong technical knowledge of glass melting behavior, furnace operation, heat transfer, combustion, thermal efficiency, and process control fundamentals.
- Demonstrated ability to lead complex root-cause analysis and implement sustainable process improvements.
- Experience working across functions to solve technical and operational problems.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical issues to varied audiences.
- Demonstrated ability to influence technical decisions without direct authority.
- Travel may be domestic and international and could be up to 50%.
Nice To Haves
- Experience supporting furnace rebuilds, process scale-up, major capital projects, or new process technology implementation.
- Experience with data analysis, modeling, statistical methods, or process simulation tools relevant to thermal or glass manufacturing systems.
- Experience mentoring engineers or serving as a technical leader across multiple projects or teams.
- Experience in a manufacturing environment requiring strong safety, quality, and operational discipline.
Responsibilities
- Lead advanced technical analysis and problem solving related to glass melting, furnace performance, and process stability.
- Improve melt quality, energy efficiency, throughput, yield, and operational reliability through data-driven process optimization.
- Support furnace operation, troubleshooting, and process improvement efforts across manufacturing environments.
- Provide technical leadership for major process changes, equipment upgrades, furnace-related projects, and new technology implementation.
- Translate complex thermal and melting issues into practical actions for plant, engineering, and cross-functional teams.
- Partner with manufacturing, R&D, maintenance, quality, and project teams to identify root causes, reduce risk, and improve overall process performance.
- Develop technical standards, operating guidance, and best practices for melting and high temperature systems.
- Mentor and coach engineers and technical teams in process understanding, troubleshooting methods, and sound engineering practices.
- Identify opportunities to improve furnace capability, process robustness, and manufacturing performance over near- and longer-term horizons.
- Communicate findings, recommendations, and risks clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Benefits
- Company-wide bonuses and long-term incentives.
- 100% company-paid pension benefit with fixed contributions.
- 401(k) savings plan with matching contributions; combined company retirement contributions can reach 7% to 12% of pay, depending on age and years of service.
- Medical, dental, and vision benefits.
- Paid parental leave and family building support.
- Fitness benefits.
- Company-paid life insurance and disability benefits.
- Disease management programs.
- Paid time off.
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
- Recognition program to celebrate successes and reward exceptional contributions.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
