Product Engineer - New Product Introduction

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• This position entails access to export-controlled items and employment offers are conditioned upon an applicant's ability to lawfully obtain access to such items.
• 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.
• B.S. degree in Engineering.  (Mechanical Engineering is preferred)

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Applicable investment casting experience preferred
• 3 years of experience in manufacturing or related field
• Knowledge of MS Office
• Excellent written & oral communications skills
• Ability to work in a self-directed or team environment with strong organizational skills
• Working knowledge of statistical analysis
• Strong analytical abilities
• Six Sigma Green Belt training preferred
• Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and create project plans.  Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from the customer and/or management. 

Howmet Engines is a world-class producer of aero engine and industrial gas turbine components, including airfoils, rings, disks and forgings. We excel in vacuum melted superalloys, machining, performance coatings and hot isostatic pressing for high-performance parts that enable the next generation of quieter, more fuel-efficient aero engines and cleaner power generation. Howmet Dover Casting is a world-class supplier of complex, investment-cast turbine airfoils and other components for the aircraft engine and industrial gas turbine industries. Howmet Dover Alloy is a world-class supplier of vacuum and air-melted nickel- and cobalt-based superalloys to aerospace, gas turbine, medical and other high-technology industrial markets.

Howmet Aerospace is currently looking a Product Engineer to join our Casting Facility located in Dover, New Jersey.  This shift will be primarily 1st shift but must have flexibility to work off shift hours. 

Along with your pay, our company provides you with a comprehensive package of benefits that is competitive with other leading companies. Some of our benefits include: Paid vacation each year, based on length of service; 13 paid holidays per year; 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan, company may match a percentage of your pre-tax contributions; Employer contribution to your Retirement Savings Plan account each pay period; Medical/Prescription Drug/Dental/Vision benefits offered upon hire; Employee Life Insurance, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Tuition Assistance Program; Free fitness center membership; Shift premium.

Anticipated Pay Range: $75K - $110K per year.  *Pay rates within this range are determined based on various factors including experience, education, certifications, etc.
 

This NPI Product Engineer position will play an important role in the qualification of New Product Introductions castings, assuring the dimensional aspect of product produced and conformance to the applicable customer and internal specifications. This position will work as part of a team in the Development product portfolio.

JOB SUMMARY

This position will maintain the dimensional aspect of castings through process control and improvement initiatives and assume direct responsibility for integrity of assigned products. Responsible for maintaining the dimensional integrity of products via continuous improvement activity, tool design and construction and product development.  Flow down of customer requirements through shop instructions and interface with quality, manufacturing, sales, and production planning.

This position will also establish and maintain external and internal customer interaction to understand technical requirements and resolve issues; prepare part specific work instructions, maintain knowledge of job cost and develop / implement appropriate plans to improve profitability and reduce cost through process improvement activity & scrap reduction.

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH & SAFETY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Expected to assist in the implementation of Howmet’s value and policy statement and its accompanying principles.
• Comply with all department, facility, Corporate and Regulatory EH&S regulations.
• Wear all required personal protective equipment.
• Report all job-related illness and injuries. (Per employee handbook).
• Report all Safety, Health & Environmental concerns to your supervisor in a timely manner.
• Attend all EH&S training.

Job Roles

• Systems thinker--sees the business and its operation holistically; understands actions and reactions; considers multiple pathways of potential effect before decisions; thinks strategically about interventions with an eye toward scale
• Optimizer--constantly challenging the organization to work smarter; supports others to ensure they have what they need to do their work successfully
• Anticipation--looks ahead to minimize potential issues and maximize advantages; prepares others for what comes next
• Operational accelerator--drives continuous improvement; understands ramifications of automation and other advances; advocates for safety, ergonomics and scalable solutions
• Organization and structure--works within existing structures while striving to improve and standardize them; provides accurate information; galvanizes others toward common goals
• Influence--leverages knowledge, relationship, data and perspective to persuade, educate and navigate; gains buy in and adoption of ideas and practices at scale; interacts with a variety of stakeholders
• Data informed--focused on things that drive quantifiable business outcomes; evaluates based on quantitative feedback; knows and explains the “why” behind actions
• Prioritized reaction--handles the unexpected without losing sight of important objectives; reacts where greatest leverage points exist
• Relationship--connects individually and with teams across shifts and practices; builds rapport and commonality; creates a “win together” ethic; serves as liaison between shop floor and engineering; keeps the pulse of the floor; helps people feel heard

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

• Communication with the customer on a regular basis.
• Conceives, evaluates and implements product engineering experiments, new product introduction part qualifications, cost reduction initiatives, capacity initiatives, and part/process improvement activities.
• Quoting of new product and tooling costs; concurrent engineering with the customer; tooling design and coordination with tooling vendor.
• Technical responsibility for all suppliers (tooling houses, core vendors, outplant finishing, etc.)
• Providing product concession data; providing first article approval package to customer; technical support relative to customer disposition of first articles/concessions, including any product (die) reworks; addressing yield and labor variances relative to quote.
• NPI activity involving customer conference calls/communication, concessions/prod permits, new work instructions, etc.
• Communicate/interface with all levels of management and manufacturing and establish both internal and external customer and supplier contacts.
• Utilize basic engineering skills to approach problems analytically and derive sound conclusions.
• Works with Process Engineer to develop metallurgical stable process which meets dimensional requirements for yield and customer supplied requirements.
• Review daily scrap reports and initiates actions to reduce scrap and rework.  Have part ownership and participate in cross-functional plant cost reduction initiatives.
• Compile and submit dimensional data to customer and obtain customer approval.  Works regularly with Quality Engineering counterpart.
• Responsible for the disposition of the MRB castings.
• Performs other duties and special assignments as directed.
• Part specific product engineering job responsibility
  • The construction of all dies, gauges and general tooling needed to produce and inspect cores, wax patterns and castings.
  • Issuing tooling letters of instruction stating requirements and milestones to track/build/qualification of newly tooled component.
  • Concurrent engineering with the customer and developing process control plans & PFMEA’s
  • Technical responsibility for review and compiling layout packages and submitting them to the customer; technical support relative to customer disposition
  • Addressing yield and labor variances relative to quote
  • Issue requests, work orders, instructions, part routing, reports, etc., to manufacturing and inspection departments on a timely basis to ensure schedules are met.  Maintain complete and orderly files per standard form so that information can be located as needed.
  • Analyze customer blueprints and specifications and establish the inspection criteria
• Support manufacturing through yield improvement activity
  • Control of dimensional quality of castings.  Input corrections to wax and core tooling such that the casting conforms to customer requirements.
  • Create and evaluate casting experiments utilizing NDT and destructive testing methods to reduce labor and material costs, improve yields and develop new process techniques.
  • Ensuring proper operations sequence and work instructions are provided to the manufacturing floor
  • Participating/leading customer conference calls/communication
  • Compiling data for concessions/prod permits as required
  • Developing new work instructions on continuous improvement of current work instructions
  • Development, build & implementation of new fixture designs and support tool builds