Sr. Leader, Pretreatment- Automotive - (Job Number: 21000697) at Arconic in New Kensington, Pennsylvania

Job Description:

Arconic is a global leader in manufacturing aluminum sheet, plate, and extrusions, serving primarily the ground transportation, aerospace, building and construction, industrial, and packaging end-markets. We are a leading supplier of aluminum sheet, plate and extrusions to the aerospace market and have a leading position in the growing North American automotive aluminum sheet market. We develop and produce quality materials and technologies for customers of lightweight metals. The Arconic Technology Center (ATC), located in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, serves as the headquarters for our Research and Development efforts. ATC's focus on innovation has given us a leading position in the development of proprietary next-generation specialty alloys and manufacturing processes.

Primary Purpose of the Job:

• Lead surface pretreatment R&D projects and pilot process operations primarily in support of Arconic's Global Rolled Products (GRP) automotive market. In addition, this position will supervise a technical team of both engineers and technicians to operate pilot-scale finishing facilities (state-of-the-art coil coating line; batch surface finishing lines). The primary functions will be:
  
  


• Identify and develop innovative concepts in the area of surface pretreatment and surface finishing
  
  


• Identify and develop the processes and procedures required for robust manufacturing processes, including converting new concepts into actuality through the identification of new processes and their subsequent development
  
  


• Develop and transfer process engineering requirements, including documentation, specifications, and quality standards to support the technology transfer and implementation to internal and external facilities.
  
  


• Provide the insight and vision necessary to align with the overall business strategy and meet manufacturing needs
  
  


• Supervise the work of others (Engineers and Technicians)
  
  

Major Activities / Key Challenges:

• Lead the development of novel surface pretreatment product and process technologies
  
  


• Deliver state-of-the-art process recipes to production teams and customers to support business strategy and financial targets.
  
  


• Provide direct support to internal and external customers for new product and process development
  
  


• Develop collaborative relationships with internal and external resources in support of R&D and technology transfer
  
  


• Leads strategic technical projects and is accountable for project management from idea creation to implementation
  
  


• Generates creative ideas and solves issues using scientific concepts, seeks and identifies new opportunities, and implements innovative solutions with limited direct functional supervision
  
  


• Identifies and benchmarks technologies with potential value to Arconic's processes and products
  
  


• Identifies opportunities for new intellectual property
  
  


• Provides oversight to the operation of pilot coil coating line and batch surface treatment facilities
  
  


• Identify, grow, and develop the talent needed to maintain core competency for surface finishing and processing.
  
  


• Develop and maintain a robust quality system aligned and in support of ATC and corporate quality initiatives
  
  


• Communicate progress/results through detailed written technical reports and oral presentations to executives, management and peers.
  
  


• Establish a vision/strategic direction and grow the competencies needed to support surface finishing and processing
  
  


• Supervise Engineers and Technicians including resource management, performance management and succession planning
  
  


• Contribute to strategic priorities of the division
  
  

Essential Knowledge & Skills / Education:

• Strong expertise in the field of surface chemistry, surface physics, and/or surface treatments particularly as it applies to aluminum and aluminum products
  
  


• Demonstrated ability to transfer ideas into practice (launch new product/process, process scale-up, etc)
  
  


• Ability to design R&D experiments, analyze data and identify important variables and physically significant trends
  
  


• Excellent communication, interpersonal, leadership and organization skills as well as the ability to influence at multiple organizational levels
  
  


• Ability to network and collaborate across a broad spectrum of internal and external customers
  
  


• Solid technical writing and presentation skills
  
  


• Supervisory experience
  
  

• Master's in Chemistry, Physics, Materials Science and Engineering, or Chemical Engineering
  
  
• 5 years of industry experience
  
  
• This position is subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) which requires U.S. person status. ITAR defines U.S. person as an U.S. Citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident (i.e. 'Green Card Holder'), Political Asylee, or Refugee.
  
  
• 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.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications:

• PhD in Chemistry, Physics, Materials Science and Engineering, or Chemical Engineering
  
  
• 3 years of industry experience