Materials Engineer

Federal Ammunition; Anoka (MN); On-site; USD 77,300 - 108,100; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and dental insurance

Vision insurance

Disability and life insurance

401K

PTO

Tuition reimbursement

Gear discounts

Job summary

The Kinetic Group, based in Anoka, Minnesota, is seeking a Materials Engineer to act as the internal expert on steel alloys and material behavior. You will guide alloy selection, heat treatment strategies, and microstructure optimization to improve performance and reduce defects.

Reporting to the Sr. Manager of Manufacturing Engineering, this role focuses on heavy collaboration with manufacturing engineers, labs, and suppliers to implement best practices and establish internal standards for

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science, Metallurgy, or Engineering (Materials-focused preferred).
• 5+ years of experience working with steel materials in a manufacturing or industrial environment.
• Strong expertise in steel metallurgy and alloy behavior, heat treatment effects on steel properties (annealing, tempering, quenching) and microstructure and grain size control.
• Experience conducting or interpreting metallurgical testing and analysis.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical authority on steel alloys and material behavior across manufacturing processes.
• Provide expertise in steel metallurgy, alloy systems, microstructure development, and heat treatment response.
• Partner with Manufacturing Engineers to optimize annealing and tempering strategies.
• Lead investigations into material-related defects and performance failures.
• Interpret metallurgical analysis and support selection of raw materials and suppliers.
• Provide input on heat treatment cycles and process parameters from a material science perspective.
• Collaborate with external labs, consultants and vendors to implement best practices.
• Help establish internal standards for steel materials, properties, and quality control.

Skills

Steel metallurgy and alloy behavior

Heat treatment effects on steel

Microstructure and grain size control

Metallurgical testing and analysis

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science, Metallurgy, or Engineering

Job description

The Kinetic Group is a world leader in the design, manufacturing, and distribution of small caliber ammunition under the iconic brands B&P, CCI, Federal Premium, Fiocchi, HEVI, Remington and Speer. We have domestic ammunition manufacturing facilities in Minnesota, Idaho, Arkansas, and Missouri, and service law enforcement, government agencies and sporting enthusiasts throughout the world. Today, The Kinetic Group is a part of the Ammo+ division of The Czechoslovak Group (CSG), which holds a diverse portfolio of companies in the defense, security, automotive, aerospace and rail industries.

As we continue to invest in and expand our steel case manufacturing capability, we are seeking a Materials Engineer with deep expertise in steel alloy processing and material behavior.

This role will serve as the internal subject matter expert on steel materials, supporting manufacturing engineering by guiding alloy selection, heat treatment strategies, and microstructure optimization. This individual will play a critical role in improving material performance, troubleshooting defects, and accelerating our overall learning curve in steel processing.

This position reports to the Sr. Manager of Manufacturing Engineering and is based out of our Anoka, Minnesota office.

What you’ll do:

• Serve as the technical authority on steel alloys and material behavior across manufacturing processes
• Provide expertise in: Steel metallurgy and alloy systems, Microstructure development and grain structure control, and Heat treatment response of various steel grades
• Partner with Manufacturing Engineers to: Optimize annealing and tempering strategies, Align material properties with forming and performance requirements
• Lead investigations into material-related defects, including: Cracking, Hardness variation, Grain structure inconsistencies, and Performance failures
• Conduct and interpret metallurgical analysis, including: Microstructure evaluation, Mechanical testing results, Support selection and validation of raw materials and suppliers
• Provide input on heat treatment cycles and process parameters from a material science perspective
• Collaborate with external consultants, labs, and vendors to implement best practices
• Help establish internal standards for steel materials, properties, and quality control

Experience you bring:

• Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science, Metallurgy, or Engineering (Materials-focused preferred)
• 5+ years of experience working with steel materials in a manufacturing or industrial environment
• Strong expertise in: Steel metallurgy and alloy behavior, Heat treatment effects on steel properties (annealing, tempering, quenching) and Microstructure and grain size control
• Experience conducting or interpreting metallurgical testing and analysis

You might have:

• Experience with steel alloys used in high-performance or high-volume applications
• Background in Ammunition or Hunt/Shoot industry
• Familiarity with boron steels or advanced alloy systems
• Experience supporting or collaborating with: Heat treat operations and Steel forming processes
• Exposure to failure analysis and root cause investigations in production environments
• Experience working with external labs or material suppliers

Pay Range:

$77,300.00 - $108,100.00

The actual annual salary offered to a candidate will be based on variables including experience, geographic location, education, and skills/achievements, and will be mutually agreed upon at the time of offer.

We offer a highly competitive salary, comprehensive benefits including: medical and dental, vision, disability and life insurance, 401K, PTO, tuition reimbursement, gear discounts and the ability to add value to an exciting mission!

Our Postings are not intended for distribution to or use in any jurisdiction, country or territory where such distribution or use would violate local law or would subject us to any regulations in another jurisdiction, country or territory. We reserve the right to limit our Postings in any jurisdiction, country or territory.

Equal Opportunity Employer Minorities/Females/Protected Veteran/Disabled