Location: Chittenango, NY
Employment Type: Full-Time
Salary: $170,000-$220,000 but will be evaluated depending on candidates' knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Job Summary: Reporting directly to the General Manager, the Technical Director serves as the site's senior metallurgical leader and technical authority for all specialty alloy production activities. This role is responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership related to superalloy design, chemistry control, vacuum induction melting practices, raw material utilization, process optimization, and technical problem-solving. The Technical Director partners closely with Operations, Quality, Purchasing, and Commercial teams to ensure products consistently meet customer requirements while driving continuous improvement in quality, yield, and manufacturing performance. This position also serves as the primary technical liaison for customers, suppliers, and affiliated CPP sites on metallurgical matters.
Essential Job Functions/Duties: - Serve as the site's primary technical authority on superalloy metallurgy, alloy development, chemistry control, and specialty melting processes.
- Lead, develop, and manage the Engineering team by establishing priorities, setting performance expectations, providing coaching and mentorship, and ensuring alignment with business objectives.
- Provide technical leadership for alloy targeting, specification development, trace element management, raw material/revert utilization, consumables definition, and melting and processing activites to ensure compliance with all customer and internal requirements.
- Partner and provide central technical leadership to each of the CPP casting sites, working to optimize SMM's processes and products to achieve industry-leading performance and yield for castings made from SMM alloy
- Lead a culture of cleanliness, precision, and process control across all aspects of SMM engineering and operations
- Direct and support all technical aspects of Vacuum Induction Melting (VIM), including process optimization, heat reviews, troubleshooting, and resolution of issues impacting product quality and furnace performance.
- Lead metallurgical investigations and Root Cause Corrective Action (RCCA) activities related to process deviations, product quality concerns, and alloy performance issues, from discovery through validation of results.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance yield, process capability, and manufacturing efficiency.
- Identify, evaluate and implement new technologies, equipment, and processing methods that improve operational performance and product quality.
- Provide technical oversight for raw material qualification, supplier development, and disposition activities related to raw materials and revert inventories.
- Serve as the primary technical liaison for customers, supporting specification reviews, contract reviews, audits, quality concerns, and metallurgical inquiries.
- Partner with Operations, Quality, Purchasing, Maintenance, and Commercial teams to align technical initiatives with business objectives and customer requirements.
- Lead technical meetings and provide mentorship and training to enhance metallurgical knowledge and process understanding across the organization.
- Support capital projects, new process development, and strategic initiatives through the application of sound metallurgical principles and technical expertise.
- Promote compliance with all safety, quality, regulatory, and company policies and procedures.
- Perform other duties and special projects as assigned.
- Ability to work at the Chittenango facility
Key Dimensions: - Engineering team performance, development, and retention.
- Balanced achievement of operational efficiency, external product performance, and SMM yield improvement and cost reduction.
- Architect and mentor for an organizational culture of cleanliness, precision and relentless process control
- Reduction in metallurgical defects, and technical non-conformances.
- Timely and effective resolution of technical issues through data-based RCCA methodologies.
- Successful execution of strategic technical and capital improvement initiatives.
- Successful maintenance of customer , quality, and regulatory compliance requirements.
Key Relationships & Leadership: - GM/VP
- Site Sr. Leadership Team
- SMM customers
Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
Education: - Minimum of a bachelor's degree in Metallurgical Engineering, Materials Science Engineering, or a related field required.
- Advanced degree preferred
Experience: - Minimum of 10+ years of progressively responsible experience in specialty metals, superalloys, vacuum melting, or related metallurgical manufacturing environments.
- Demonstrated expertise with nickel-based superalloys and specialty alloy systems.
- Significant experience supporting Vacuum Induction Melting (VIM) operations required.
- Experience leading technical investigations, RCCA activities, and process improvement initiatives.
- Six Sigma Black Belt certification or equivalent strongly preferred
- Previous leadership experience preferred.
Other Required Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities: - Working knowledge of industrial engineering fundamentals: process flow analysis, time studies, capacity planning, facility layout, and cost analysis.
- Process simulation experience is preferred, including building and analyzing discrete-event simulation models in FlexSim; experience with comparable tools (e.g., Simio, Arena, AnyLogic) is acceptable, and academic or co-op project experience is acceptable for recent graduates.
- Demonstrated interest in automation, controls, and programming, and willingness to work hands-on in a manufacturing environment, including on the shop floor.
- Exposure to PLC or HMI programming (e.g., Allen-Bradley ladder logic) and programming or scripting in any language (e.g., Python, structured text, C) is preferred.
- Familiarity with electrical and electronics fundamentals, industrial sensors, or robotics, and proficiency with CAD software for layout development (e.g., AutoCAD, SolidWorks), are preferred.
- Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma training, data systems or SQL exposure, and prior manufacturing, casting, or machining experience are pluses.
- U.S. Person status (U.S. citizen, permanent resident, refugee, or asylee) is required due to ITAR regulations.
Why Join Us? Innovative Environment: Work in a state-of-the-art melt shop.
Growth Opportunities: Be part of a company that values continuous improvement and offers career development opportunities.
Competitive Benefits: Enjoy a comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, and vison insurance, retirement plans, bonuses and more.
This is a management position
This is a full time position
Pay Range: $170,000-$220,000
