Position Overview:MP Materials is seeking a hands-on Design Engineer to be an integral part of the team designing and building a new metal, alloy, and magnet-making facility. This is a rare opportunity to have a central role in the development of a greenfield advanced manufacturing facility, and helping to define the future of American manufacturing. The ideal candidate is strongly mechanically inclined, and a natural tinkerer. This position will require a combination of both strong technical skills to design the machines needed for material movement and plant layout, and a hands-on nature to ensure that the successful sourcing, construction, and commissioning of the designs.
The new facility will contain a broad range of chemical, mechanical, and thermal processes, including electrowinning, strip casting, powder production, pressing & sintering, machining, and assembly. Because of the broad range of processes in use, it is important that the Design Engineer have a diverse technical background with the ability to engage with a broad range of technical specialists and gain a working understanding of the physical processes, key control metrics, and potential hazards involved. The successful candidate will also be passionate about pairing design work with much of the actual "dirty hands" work to ensure that everything works as intended initially and over time.
Position Responsibilities:- Member of the Physical Design Engineering team.
- Works closely with broader process engineering, controls engineering, and manufacturing teams to create automated processes with an integrated process flow.
- Supports and leads the design, manufacturing, installation, and commissioning activities to deliver projects from concept to fully operational in the plant.
- Delivers finished designs, detailed drawings, and engineering specifications for supplier bidding, and leads vendor compliance efforts after purchase.
- Ability to lead Design Engineering technician(s) to achieve required tasks.
- Conducts and participates in technical design reviews, supplier evaluations and internal and external compliance audits to relevant industrial standards (ASTM, ISO etc).
- Perform CAD, FEA, and durability simulations as required of concept designs to provide recommendations for physical prototype candidates, execute testing, and ensure successful commissioning and ongoing operation.
- Research and implement automation systems, detailed design, component sourcing, manufacture, and deployment of manufacturing equipment.
- Works closely with EHS to ensure that all work is done to ensure world class health and safety, and full compliance with relevant environmental regulations.
- Documents all work for seamless handoff to end users, prepares technical reports, and follows all corporate change management procedures.
- Lead and support continuous improvement activities to produce ongoing, meaningful improvements to worker safety, process uptime, and product quality.
- Other duties as assigned.
Basic Qualifications:- BS or MS in mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, or related field.
- At least 5 years process design and automation experience within a manufacturing environment.
- Knowledge in automation of industrial processes and materials handling.
- Experience in machine design and testing.
- Knowledge of statistical process control, and experience in designing control systems.
- Broad knowledge and experience across multiple CAD tools.
- Excellent spatial visualization and reasoning skills, with a history of conceiving of successful creative designs for bespoke problems.
- Project Management and hands-on approach to projects.
- Sound knowledge of Process Safety.
- Good understanding of human factors in manufacturing.
- Entrepreneurial mindset, with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple concurrent projects.
- Ability to develop and maintain awareness of occupational hazards and safety precautions.
