Ceramic Core Process Owner – Standards & Yield

Howmet Aerospace; Whitehall Township (MI); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Howmet Aerospace is seeking a Core Process Owner for ceramic core manufacturing to provide enterprise leadership across Howmet Engine facilities in the US. You will be the SPA for ceramic core processes, drive standards, and guide manufacturing governance to ensure consistent, high-quality core production and supplier collaboration.

The role requires 8+ years in investment casting or ceramic core manufacturing, strong SPC knowledge, and the ability to lead cross-functional initiatives with

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science, Ceramic Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Minimum of 8 years of engineering or manufacturing experience in investment casting, ceramic core manufacturing, advanced ceramics, or related manufacturing processes.
• Experience developing engineering specifications, manufacturing standards, technical procedures, or process documentation.
• Experience leading cross-functional technical initiatives across multiple manufacturing locations.
• Strong understanding of statistical process control, process capability, root cause analysis, and manufacturing quality systems.
• Excellent technical writing, communication, facilitation, and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to influence manufacturing organizations and drive enterprise-wide process standardization without direct authority.
• Willingness to travel 50% to manufacturing facilities and suppliers.
• This position is ITAR restricted and requires U.S. person status.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the Business Unit Single Point of Accountability (SPA) for ceramic core manufacturing process control and fixed process governance across all core manufacturing locations.
• Establish, maintain, and continuously improve business unit standards, best practices, and technical specifications for internal and external ceramic core suppliers.
• Provide technical authority and drive enterprise standardization for ceramic core materials, manufacturing processes, process controls, and engineering specifications.
• Champion change management and fixed process adherence by partnering with plant leadership to ensure disciplined execution of approved manufacturing processes and standardized work.
• Lead monthly process audits of internal ceramic core manufacturing facilities, identify and help close process gaps, ensure timely corrective actions, and report findings to executive leadership.
• Lead business unit initiatives to improve ceramic core yield, dimensional capability, strength, consistency, and overall manufacturing performance.
• Develop standardized best practices for ceramic core strengthening processes, impregnations, coatings, sealants, and other treatments applied prior to wax injection.
• Standardize methods for handling ceramic cores throughout investment casting operations, including storage, transportation, inspection, preparation, and contamination prevention.
• Develop business unit standards and best practices for locating ceramic cores within wax injection dies, including locator design, support materials, nesting schemes, and process controls to improve dimensional repeatability and casting quality.
• Lead cross-functional best practice initiatives involving engineering, manufacturing, quality, operations, and supply chain teams across multiple locations.
• Evaluate, qualify, and implement emerging ceramic core technologies, including advanced core body materials, new ceramic systems, strengthening technologies, surface coatings, locator technologies, automation and inspection technologies.
• Partner with internal core manufacturing facilities and external suppliers to ensure reliable, high-quality, and cost-effective core supply to investment casting operations.
• Develop business unit KPIs and executive dashboards to monitor process capability, fixed process adherence, supplier performance, core quality, and yield.
• Support new product introduction by ensuring ceramic core technologies meet business unit standards and manufacturability requirements.
• Provide technical mentoring and guidance to core manufacturing engineers, investment casting product engineers, and operations personnel.
• Benchmark industry best practices and identify opportunities to improve ceramic core technologies and manufacturing capabilities across the business.

Skills

Stakeholder alignment

Statistical process control

Process standardization

Cross-functional leadership

Communication & facilitation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a related field

Job description

Howmet Aerospace is seeking a Core Process Owner for ceramic core manufacturing to provide enterprise leadership across Howmet Engine facilities in the US. You will be the SPA for ceramic core processes, drive standards, and guide manufacturing governance to ensure consistent, high-quality core production and supplier collaboration.

The role requires 8+ years in investment casting or ceramic core manufacturing, strong SPC knowledge, and the ability to lead cross-functional initiatives with