Job Summary:The Cast House Process Engineer is a dedicated engineering resource supporting process performance and continuous improvement within the Phoenix Cast House. The role is responsible for optimizing aluminum melting, alloying, casting, and related manufacturing processes to ensure safe, efficient, and cost-effective operations. This position provides technical expertise and engineering support to improve metal recovery, product quality, equipment reliability, and overall cast house performance.
The Process Engineer will partner closely with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, and HSE teams to identify process improvement opportunities, troubleshoot production challenges, reduce scrap, and implement sustainable solutions that support Hydro's operational excellence objectives.
This position plays a critical role in driving process stability, standardization, and continuous improvement while maintaining compliance with safety, environmental, and quality standards.
What you will be doing- Use manufacturing and process data to identify root causes, implement improvements, and evaluate whether changes are delivering sustainable improvements in quality, reliability, downtime, and throughput.
- Analyze and optimize aluminum melting, holding, alloying, metal treatment, and casting processes to improve operational performance.
- Monitor and analyze critical process parameters, including furnace temperatures, melt rates, casting temperatures, cycle times, and metal chemistry, using production data to identify trends, improvement opportunities, and measurable results.
- Identify opportunities to improve metal recovery, reduce dross generation, minimize melt loss,reduce scrap and downtime, improve quality, and increase production efficiency.
- Develop, implement, and maintain standardized operating procedures and process control parameters.
- Evaluate process capability and identify improvements to increase casting consistency and billet quality.
- Provide technical support for furnace operations, casting equipment, molten metal transfer, and related processes.
- Support the introduction of new alloys, process technologies, and equipment improvements,including equipment installation, layout, startup, and process optimization activities.
What will make you successful?Required Education/Experience: - Bachelor's degree in Metallurgical Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related technical field required.
- 3-5 years of process engineering, manufacturing engineering, or related experience in an industrial manufacturing environment required.
- Must be English speaking, Spanish is a plus.
Preferred Skills/Qualifications: - Working knowledge of industrial manufacturing equipment, including hydraulic and pneumatic systems, process controls, and manufacturing quality systems.
- Experience with statistical process control (SPC), process capability analysis, and manufacturing performance metrics.
- Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Kaizen, and structured problem-solving tools.
- Knowledge of aluminum alloys, metallurgy, solidification, and casting defect prevention.
- Knowledge of ISO 9001, IATF 16949, and automotive manufacturing quality requirements.
- Experience supporting capital improvement projects, equipment installations, and process automation.
- Demonstrated experience in process optimization, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret manufacturing data and implement measurable improvements.
- Strong communication, project management, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
- Ability to work in an industrial manufacturing environment and provide technical support across production shifts as needed.
