Sr Process Engineer - Heat Treat / Fabrication

Eaton Corporation • Orchard Park, NY

19h • $97,000 - $143,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Eaton’s IS AER MSD division is hiring a Sr Process Engineer based in Orchard Park, New York. The engineer will be the technical owner of heat treat, spring manufacturing, lapping, and soldering at the facility, combining manufacturing engineering responsibilities with hands-on ownership of these special processes. The role covers process development, tooling, capability studies, cost and throughput improvement, equipment operation, programming, and validation. Additional fabrication areas may be added as the business grows.

This is a floor-facing role requiring direct engagement with equipment and production operations. The engineer is responsible for turning process and equipment knowledge into repeatable, documented, audit-ready processes and for leading capital projects that modernize and expand the site’s special-process capabilities. The position partners with quality, maintenance, production supervision, and suppliers to sustain process performance and equipment uptime.

The expected annual salary range is $97,000–$143,000, and the position is eligible for a variable incentive program. Eaton does not offer relocation for this position; candidates must currently reside within 50 miles of Orchard Park, NY, except active-duty military service member candidates, who are exempt from that geographic limitation. Applicants must meet the stated U.S.-person requirement for access to export-controlled information. Eaton does not provide employment immigration sponsorship or support for this position.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited engineering institution.
• At least 3 years of demonstrated experience in the heat-treat industry.
• Working knowledge of ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, including transformation behavior, hardening and tempering response, and the effect of thermal processing on mechanical properties.
• Ability to read and apply heat-treat and materials specifications and write clear process specifications and work instructions.
• Comfort with furnace and oven control systems and recipe programming, and ability to work alongside controls and maintenance technicians.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Must currently reside within 50 miles of Orchard Park, NY; active-duty military service member candidates are exempt from this geographic limitation.
• Must qualify as a U.S. person under the stated export-control definition to access export-controlled information.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s or advanced degree in materials science, materials engineering, or metallurgical engineering.
• Five or more years of heat-treat experience in a high-volume or precision manufacturing environment.
• Experience with helical and Belleville manufacturing or IPC soldering.

Responsibilities

• Follow Eaton MESH protocols and ensure processes, equipment, and work instructions meet safety, machine-guarding, and environmental requirements before production release.
• Own manufacturing processes, routings, work instructions, and standard work for assigned product families, keeping documentation current as processes change.
• Develop, qualify, and improve manufacturing methods, fixtures, and tooling to improve quality, throughput, and cost.
• Lead structured root-cause analysis and corrective action for scrap, rework, and process-related quality escapes.
• Support new product introduction through process design, PFMEA, control plans, and process capability studies.
• Drive lean and continuous-improvement activities on the production floor, including cycle-time reduction and capacity planning.
• Serve as the site subject matter expert for heat treat, spring manufacturing, lapping, and soldering processes, including hands-on equipment operation.
• Program and maintain heat-treat oven and furnace recipes and controllers, including setpoints, ramp and soak profiles, alarms, and recipe change control.
• Validate heat-treat processes through temperature uniformity surveys, system accuracy tests, instrumentation calibration, thermocouple management, and load qualification; maintain supporting records.
• Develop and approve heat-treat specifications and process sheets, and verify results through metallurgical evaluation, including hardness, case depth, microstructure, and distortion.
• Maintain audit-ready special-process documentation and support internal, customer, and third-party audits.
• Troubleshoot equipment and process issues with maintenance and controls personnel, and drive preventive-maintenance requirements for heat-treat assets.
• Support spring-room operations, including coiling and forming parameters, stress relief and setting, material selection, load and rate verification, and tooling.
• Support lapping-room operations, including process parameters, abrasive and media selection, machine setup, flatness and surface-finish control, and consumable qualification.
• Identify, justify, and lead capital projects for heat-treat, fabrication, finishing, lapping, and spring-room equipment, including scope definition, payback analysis, and appropriation requests.
• Own capital project schedules and budgets, and close projects with validated process capability, trained operators, and complete documentation.
• Partner with quality, maintenance, production supervision, and suppliers to sustain process performance and equipment uptime.

Benefits

• Variable incentive program.
• Health and welfare benefits.
• Retirement benefits.
• Programs providing paid and unpaid time away from work. Specific programs and options may depend on eligibility factors, including location, hire date, and applicable collective bargaining agreements.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior