Senior Process Engineer

The Senior Process Engineer is a seasoned, hands-on technical authority with broad ownership of assigned product families and key ceramic manufacturing processes. Working independently with limited supervision, this engineer resolves complex manufacturing problems, improves process performance, and provides technical guidance to other engineers. Significant time on the production floor is essential to observing processes, running trials, validating improvements, and working directly with operators and supervisors.

In collaboration with the Engineering Lead, this engineer sets technical direction within assigned areas and influences decisions across Operations, Quality, R&D, customers, and other sites. The role mentors junior engineers and leads cross-site or multi-product work when connected to assigned products or processes within the engineer's subject matter expertise. This is an individual contributor role; team work coordination and assignments, including during Engineering Lead’s absence, remain the lead’s responsibility. Final engineering standards and governance decisions remain with designated engineering leadership.

• ◆Own manufacturing process performance for assigned product families. Establish baselines, agree improvement priorities and targets with Lead and Operations, and deliver sustained gains in yield, process capability, throughput, scrap, and cost.
• ◆Serve as the technical authority and develop recognized subject matter expertise in assigned ceramic processes, such as slip mixing, preform casting, green machining, infiltration layup, or thermal processing. Guide engineers through difficult technical questions and review analyses and proposed solutions within this expertise.
• ◆Set technical direction for assigned products and processes collaboratively with Lead. Define approaches and project work plans, monitor progress, and guide technical execution across related engineering work.
• ◆Exercise independent judgment in selecting methods and developing solutions where causes are uncertain, data are incomplete, or multiple process interactions must be evaluated. Make and document strong, defensible technical decisions; explain evidence, assumptions, alternatives, and risks, and seek required approvals or escalate issues beyond assigned authority.
• ◆Spend significant time on the manufacturing floor troubleshooting at the source, observing equipment and operator practices, conducting trials, and verifying that improvements work under routine production conditions.
• ◆Lead complex root-cause investigations and permanent corrective actions for recurring production problems and Material Review Board (MRB) issues. Use structured problem solving, data analysis, designed experiments, and statistical process control to reduce repeat defects and engineering firefighting.
• ◆Develop, standardize, and maintain process controls, operating windows, work instructions, process failure mode and effects analyses (PFMEAs), and control plans. Train users and verify adoption and effectiveness; contribute technical recommendations to engineering standards and governance through established approval processes.
• ◆Lead cross-site or multi-product technical initiatives when they involve assigned products or SME processes. For relevant transfers, lead assigned technical work or provide SME consultation, define process

and validation criteria, transfer knowledge, and verify receiving-site readiness with the responsible teams.

• ✓Represent Engineering with Operations, Quality, R&D, customers, and other sites on assigned technical matters. Present findings and recommendations clearly, lead technical discussions, resolve differing perspectives using evidence, and follow through on agreed technical actions.
• ✓Mentor junior engineers through floor-based coaching, experimental planning, technical reviews, and constructive feedback that builds independent judgment. Support Lead's development plans; Lead retains primary accountability for employee development and performance management.
• ✓Collaborate with R&D and cross-functional teams to introduce new products and technologies into manufacturing. Evaluate manufacturability, process risks, and qualification evidence, and establish robust controls for assigned products and processes.

• ✓Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Ceramic Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related discipline
• ✓5+ years of engineering, manufacturing, process development, or related experience
• ✓Demonstrated seasoned technical capability in manufacturing or process development, including ownership of complex problems through implementation and sustained results. Evidence of technical guidance to other engineers, mentoring, and effective cross-functional influence is required