Lead Engineer - Ceramic Core Process

The Howmet Engines Principal Ceramic Core Process Owner may be located at any of the US Howmet Engines Business Unit facilities. He or she provides enterprise leadership for ceramic core manufacturing and core utilization across Howmet Engine Products. This role serves as the Business Unit Single Point of Accountability (SPA) for ceramic core manufacturing processes, process control, and fixed process adherence, ensuring consistent execution across internal core manufacturing facilities and external suppliers.

Essential Functions

• Serve as the Business Unit Single Point of Accountability (SPA) for ceramic core manufacturing process control and fixed process governance across all core manufacturing locations.

• Establish, maintain, and continuously improve business unit standards, best practices, and technical specifications for internal and external ceramic core suppliers, including material requirements, manufacturing methods, inspection criteria, qualification requirements, and process controls.

• Provide technical authority and drive enterprise standardization for ceramic core materials, manufacturing processes, process controls, and engineering specifications.

• Champion change management and fixed process adherence by partnering with plant leadership to ensure disciplined execution of approved manufacturing processes and standardized work.

• Lead monthly process audits of internal ceramic core manufacturing facilities, identify and help close process gaps, ensure timely corrective actions, and report findings to executive leadership.

• Lead business unit initiatives to improve ceramic core yield, dimensional capability, strength, consistency, and overall manufacturing performance.

• Drive improvements focused on maximizing downstream investment casting yield through improved ceramic core quality, consistency, and process capability.

• Develop standardized best practices for ceramic core strengthening processes, impregnations, coatings, sealants, and other treatments applied prior to wax injection. 

• Standardize methods for handling ceramic cores throughout investment casting operations, including storage, transportation, inspection, preparation, and contamination prevention.

• Develop business unit standards and best practices for locating ceramic cores within wax injection dies, including locator design, support materials, nesting schemes, and process controls to improve dimensional repeatability and casting quality.

• Lead cross-functional best practice initiatives involving engineering, manufacturing, quality, operations, and supply chain teams across multiple locations.

• Evaluate, qualify, and implement emerging ceramic core technologies, including advanced core body materials, new ceramic systems, strengthening technologies, surface coatings, locator technologies, automation and inspection technologies.

• Partner with internal core manufacturing facilities and external suppliers to ensure reliable, high-quality, and cost-effective core supply to investment casting operations.

• Develop business unit KPIs and executive dashboards to monitor process capability, fixed process adherence, supplier performance, core quality, and yield.

• Support new product introduction by ensuring ceramic core technologies meet business unit standards and manufacturability requirements.

• Provide technical mentoring and guidance to core manufacturing engineers, investment casting product engineers, and operations personnel.

• Benchmark industry best practices and identify opportunities to improve ceramic core technologies and manufacturing capabilities across the business. 

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science, Ceramic Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Minimum of 8 years of engineering or manufacturing experience in investment casting, ceramic core manufacturing, advanced ceramics, or related manufacturing processes.
• Experience developing engineering specifications, manufacturing standards, technical procedures, or process documentation.
• Experience leading cross-functional technical initiatives across multiple manufacturing locations.
• Strong understanding of statistical process control, process capability, root cause analysis, and manufacturing quality systems.
• Excellent technical writing, communication, facilitation, and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to influence manufacturing organizations and drive enterprise-wide process standardization without direct authority.
• Willingness to travel 50% to manufacturing facilities and suppliers.
• Employees must be legally authorized to work in the United States, verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire, visa sponsorship is not available for this position
• This position is subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) which requires U.S. person status.  ITAR defines U.S. person as a U.S. Citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident (i.e. "Green Card Holder"), Political Asylee, or Refugee

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading enterprise process control, fixed process, or manufacturing governance programs.
• Experience in aerospace investment casting manufacturing.
• Extensive knowledge of ceramic core materials, binder systems, firing processes, and ceramic processing technologies.
• Experience with ceramic core design, tooling, injection molding, firing, machining, inspection, and finishing operations.
• Experience developing supplier qualification requirements and technical specifications for ceramic manufacturing.
• Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.
• Familiarity with ceramic material characterization, failure analysis, and process capability studies.
• Experience developing executive-level KPI dashboards and process governance reporting.
• Project management experience leading large, cross-functional manufacturing improvement initiatives.