Piezoelectric Ceramic Engineer - Ceramic Processing and Sintering

INTERACTION 24 LLC; State College (Centre County); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Training & development

Job summary

InterAction24 is hiring a full-time Piezoelectric Ceramic Engineer for an advanced piezoelectric materials manufacturer in central Pennsylvania (State College area). This is a direct-hire, 1st shift position.

You will develop, optimize, and scale the processing of lead-based piezoelectric ceramics, bridging R&D and production, with responsibilities from powder synthesis to scale-up and characterization using SEM, EDS, and XRD.

Qualifications

• BS in Materials Science and Engineering, Ceramic Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or closely related field.
• Strong working knowledge of powder synthesis, forming methods, and thermal processing.
• Hands-on experience with SEM, EDS, and XRD for microstructural and phase analysis.
• U.S. Person status is required due to export-controlled technical data.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize ceramic processing routes from powder to finished part.
• Establish sintering schedules and thermal processing conditions.
• Characterize materials for density, grain size, phase purity, and properties.
• Run powder and microstructural characterization using SEM, EDS, and XRD.
• Execute process trials and drive corrective actions to improve quality and yield.
• Scale lab processes to pilot and full production while controlling costs.
• Apply SPC and control charts to monitor production performance.
• Document results and present findings to cross-functional teams.

Skills

Powder synthesis

Ceramic processing

Thermal processing

SEM

EDS

XRD

Education

BS in Materials Science and Engineering or related field

Tools

SEM

EDS

XRD

Job description

Benefits:

• Competitive salary
• Training & development

InterAction24 is hiring a full-time Piezoelectric Ceramic Engineer for an advanced piezoelectric materials manufacturer in central Pennsylvania (State College area). This is a direct-hire, 1st shift position.

Most ceramics jobs are a support function inside a bigger company. This one is the product. The components made here are custom-engineered piezoelectric materials that go into medical ultrasound imaging, semiconductor equipment, and industrial sensing. If you have worked hands-on with ceramic processing and want the material itself to be the point of your job, this is that role.

WHAT YOU WILL OWN

You will develop, optimize, and scale the processing of lead-based piezoelectric ceramics, bridging R&D and production:

• Develop and optimize ceramic processing routes: powder synthesis, milling, spray drying, uniaxial and isostatic pressing, wet and dry green forming
• Establish sintering schedules and thermal processing conditions to hit target microstructures and electromechanical properties
• Characterize materials for density, grain size, phase purity, and dielectric and piezoelectric performance, then correlate results back to processing parameters
• Run powder and microstructural characterization using particle size distribution, SEM, EDS, and XRD
• Execute process trials, drive root cause analysis, and implement corrective actions that move quality, consistency, and yield
• Scale laboratory processes to pilot and full production while holding cost and efficiency targets
• Apply SPC and control charts to monitor and optimize production performance
• Document results, write technical reports, and present findings to cross-functional teams and management

WHAT YOU NEED

• BS in Materials Science and Engineering, Ceramic Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related field
• Strong working knowledge of powder synthesis, forming methods, and thermal processing
• Hands-on experience with SEM, EDS, and XRD for microstructural and phase analysis
• U.S. Person status is required: U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. This role involves export-controlled technical data, so we are unable to consider candidates who cannot meet this requirement

STRONGLY PREFERRED

• Hands-on ceramic processing experience with piezoelectric oxides such as PZT or other lead-based systems
• Familiarity with electrode techniques (sputtering, screen printing, plating) and ceramic-metal integration
• Electrical characterization: impedance analysis, ferroelectric and piezoelectric testing
• Minitab, and 3 or more years in a manufacturing environment

Your total years of experience and degree level are flexible. Recent graduates with genuine ceramics specialization are encouraged to apply, and so are experienced process engineers. What matters is that the ceramics work is real, not adjacent.

WHY THIS ONE IS WORTH A LOOK

Advanced piezoelectrics is a small field, and roles where one engineer owns a process from powder to finished part do not open often. The team is established, the products ship into applications where performance is measured in microns and megahertz, and this seat has direct influence on how things get built. Central Pennsylvania offers a genuinely low cost of living and a college-town quality of life.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Manufacturing environment. Must be able to manipulate parts weighing up to 50 lbs.

Our client is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. Every application is reviewed by a person on our team.