Senior Materials & Joining Engineer

Reports to: Business Line Manager

About the Role:

We are a Southern California contract manufacturer specializing in the joining of dissimilar materials via brazing. This is a hands-on, highly technical role for an engineer who lives and breathes joining processes, someone who can serve as the resident subject matter expert on our floor, drive R&D projects from prototype through serial production and bring the depth of knowledge our work demands.

We are specifically seeking a candidate whose core expertise is in materials science and joining technologies, brazing first and foremost, with the credibility to lead, advise, and mentor on the production floor and in customer-facing technical discussions.

What You Will Own:

Brazing & Joining Process Authority:

• Serve as the on-site subject matter expert for all brazing and dissimilar material joining operations
• Develop, document, and optimize brazing procedures for production and new program introduction
• Define filler metal selection, flux selection, atmosphere/temperature profiles, and fixturing approaches
• Troubleshoot joint failures, porosity, wetting issues, and thermal distortion; root cause to corrective action
• Maintain and expand internal brazing process knowledge base

R&D to Serial Production:

• Lead new joining process development from feasibility through production readiness
• Define process qualification criteria and execute first article / process validation activities
• Drive PFMEA, control plans, and process documentation for new programs
• Partner with quality and operations to ensure processes are repeatable, measurable, and manufacturable at rate
• Identify and close gaps between prototype intent and production reality, early and often

GD&T / Design for Manufacturability

• Review customer drawings and specifications for DFM and producibility relative to brazing and joining operations
• Identify and escalate tolerance stack-ups, joint accessibility issues, and material incompatibilities at the quoting stage
• Communicate design intent clearly across engineering, quality, and production teams
• Mentor younger engineers on GD&T interpretation and the relationship between design intent and joining process outcomes

Technical Leadership & Mentorship:

• Provide technical guidance to production floor teams on joining processes and quality standards
• Support customer technical reviews, PPAP activities, and supplier qualification efforts
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives tied to yield, throughput, and scrap reduction
• Help build and formalize the site's technical capability via documenting what has historically existed only as tribal knowledge

What We Are Looking For:

Required:

• 8-12 years of experience in materials joining engineering, with brazing as a primary area of expertise
• Demonstrated hands-on experience with brazing of dissimilar material combinations (metals, ceramics, or composites)
• Deep understanding of filler metals, flux systems, atmosphere furnace brazing, and torch/induction brazing processes
• Proficiency in reading and interpreting engineering drawings per ASME Y14.5 (GD&T)
• Experience taking joining processes from prototype or R&D phase into repeatable serial production
• Strong root cause analysis and corrective action skills (you've diagnosed real joint failures under production pressure)
• Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to non-engineers, customers, and production personnel

Strongly Preferred:

• Experience with aerospace, defense, or high-reliability manufacturing environments
• Familiarity with AMS, AWS, or MIL-spec brazing standards
• Background with dissimilar metal combinations such as stainless-to-copper, titanium-to-ceramic, or similar
• AWS Certified Brazing Engineer (CBE) or equivalent credential
• Experience supporting AS9100 or NADCAP quality systems
• Working knowledge of PFMEA, control plans, and APQP processes

You Are Probably a Fit If...

• You are most comfortable when you are on the floor rather than in a conference room
• You have opinions about filler metal selection and can defend them with data
• You have caught a tolerance callout that would have made a joint impossible to produce and said something!
• You appreciate tribal knowledge and enjoy documenting and systematizing that knowledge for repeatability
• You take pride in building the technical credibility of the teams around you

What This Role Is Not:
This is not a generalist engineering position. This is not a structural or mechanical engineering role. Candidates with general manufacturing or ME backgrounds without specific joining process expertise are unlikely to be competitive. We respect the GD&T and aerospace ME skillset; it is simply not the core gap we are filling.

We are looking for the person who, when presented with a brazed joint failure, immediately starts asking about time-temperature profiles, filler metal activity, surface preparation, and joint clearance, not one who reaches for FEA software.

What We Offer:

• A technically challenging environment where joining expertise is genuinely valued and visible
• Opportunity to build and shape the materials engineering function from the ground up
• Direct influence on R&D direction and new program development
• Competitive compensation commensurate with senior-level technical expertise
• On-site role in Southern California with a lean, hands-on team

Total Rewards:
The compensation range for this position is $139,900 - $209,900, depending on experience. It needs to be understood that is not normal practice for a position to start at the top of the range. This position is eligible for performance-based bonus plan.

Benefits Package:

Our comprehensive U.S. benefit offerings include: Health benefits, 401(k) retirement savings program with company match, PTO, and more.

More information on our benefits and rewards can be found on our career page:

https://www.idexcorp.com/careers/our-benefit-and-rewards/

Work Environment & Physical Demands:

Work environments and physical demands vary by role and may include:

• Use of personal protective equipment (PPE) or safety gear, provided by STC.
• A combination of seated and standing work; walking for moderate to extended periods.
• Fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and visual focus for detailed tasks, including tool use, computer work, or microscope inspection.
• Exposure to repetitive motions; adaptive devices or reasonable accommodation may be provided as needed.
• Deadlines, shifting priorities, and peak workloads that may create a fast-paced environment.

Manufacturing & Production Areas:

• Work performed on the shop floor, in climate-controlled spaces, or clean rooms. Some areas may be noisy, dusty, or warm.
• Mandatory use of job-specific PPE and machine guards.
• Occasional bending, squatting, reaching, and lifting up to 50 lbs.; some roles require pushing loaded carts.

Maintenance & C1D2 Workspaces:

• Includes all manufacturing/production requirements, plus additional PPE such as ESD shoes, coveralls, gloves, and full-face respirators.

Office & Sales Roles:

• Climate-controlled office setting with occasional visits to production areas.
• Occasional bending, squatting, reaching, and lifting up to 25 lbs.
• May require travel by air or car to attend conferences or visit customer sites.
• Remote/home office environments may vary.