Sr Engineer Materials - Steel Systems

Harley-Davidson•Milwaukee, WI

6d•$93,400 - $145,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Materials Engineer is responsible for supporting the Product Development Process by providing deep technical expertise in ferrous materials, with a primary focus on steels used in motorcycle components and systems. This role partners with product development, manufacturing, and suppliers to ensure robust material selection, processing, and performance. The engineer leads material-related problem solving, including failure analysis and root cause investigations, with an emphasis on durability, fatigue performance, and heat treatment control of steel components.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Materials Engineering, Metallurgy, or a related field is required.
A minimum of five years of experience in materials engineering is required, with demonstrated experience in steel materials, heat treatment processes, and durability or failure analysis in product development or manufacturing environments.
Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.

Nice To Haves

Proficient in metallurgical and analytical techniques used to evaluate ferrous materials, including hardness testing, optical emission spectroscopy, microscopy, and fractography.
Ability to translate laboratory data into meaningful engineering conclusions is essential.
Willing to perform preventive maintenance on lab equipment, plan for ordering necessary lab equipment, and keep track of budget expenses.

Responsibilities

The role requires strong applied knowledge of steel alloys, including how composition, microstructure, and processing influence mechanical properties and long-term durability. The engineer guides material selection and design decisions for critical components such as structural parts, powertrain elements, and fasteners.
A key expectation is expertise in ferrous manufacturing processes, including forgings, castings, and sheet metal, with an emphasis on how processing influences grain structure, residual stress, and defect formation. The engineer works closely with suppliers and manufacturing teams to ensure process capability, optimize performance, and reduce variability.
The position includes leadership of failure analysis and root cause investigations related to steel components. This involves metallurgical evaluation of fracture surfaces, microstructure, and material conditions, with clear documentation and actionable recommendations to improve design or process robustness.
The engineer applies deep knowledge of heat treatment processes such as carburizing, nitriding, induction hardening, and through-hardening, with an understanding of how these processes impact hardness, toughness, fatigue strength, and distortion. The role also includes supporting specifications and validation of heat treatment processes at suppliers.
In collaboration with design and validation teams, the engineer supports understanding of mechanical behavior, particularly fatigue and fracture performance under cyclic loading, and how material condition and manufacturing variability influence field performance.
The role requires strong cross-functional engagement, providing technical leadership to engineering teams, supporting supplier development, and ensuring alignment between design intent, material capability, and manufacturing processes.
The candidate should be proficient in metallurgical and analytical techniques used to evaluate ferrous materials, including hardness testing, optical emission spectroscopy, microscopy, and fractography. The ability to translate laboratory data into meaningful engineering conclusions is essential.
Candidate must be willing to perform preventive maintenance on lab equipment, plan for ordering necessary lab equipment, and keep track of budget expenses.
This role serves as a technical leader in ferrous materials, providing guidance across engineering teams and mentoring others as needed.
The candidate must communicate technical topics clearly and effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.