Product Engineer

Kaiser Aluminum; Spokane (WA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and dental insurance

Paid holidays

Paid family leave

401(k) with company match

Quarterly bonus

Job summary

Kaiser Aluminum in Spokane, WA is seeking a Product Engineer (metallurgy focused) to join onsite operations. The role requires background in aluminum or aerospace manufacturing and strong metallurgy expertise, with emphasis on quality and technical excellence.

The candidate will work as the primary technical conduit between customers and internal teams, supporting product development, quality, recovery, and specification compliance.

Qualifications

• Undergrad degree in metallurgy or materials science required.
• 5+ years experience in aluminum or related industry (aerospace) preferred.
• Strong problem solving, investigative, experimental and statistical analysis skills.
• Proficient in Windows, Word and Excel; able to summarize data in reports.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and organizational skills.
• Proven ability to work in teams and manage multiple tasks.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical/metallurgical support to plant and sales teams and customers.
• Serve as principal liaison between customer and plant on quality and technical issues.
• Develop and implement metallurgical practices to support product development and quality.
• Support quality assurance; disposition quarantined metal, claims and discrepant shipments.
• Perform manufacturing investigations on suspect product for root cause.
• Maintain compliance with customer and industry specifications; review specifications.
• Initiate and execute qualification programs as needed; review and authorize recertifications.
• Monitor and audit vendor activities as required; ensure safety, quality and environmental regulations.

Skills

Metallurgy knowledge

Problem solving

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Multi-tasking

Education

Metallurgy or Materials Science bachelor

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

Windows

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Kaiser Aluminum is known around the world for its superior quality. Our secret is what we put into it—innovative thinking, industry-leading reliability, and a world-class commitment to customer service. In short, the same qualities we look for in our people. We are looking for a Product Engineer (metallurgy focused) to join the Kaiser Aluminum onsite team in Spokane Washington that has a background in aluminum or aerospace manufacturing and physical/mechanical metallurgy!

Must be a U.S. person (identified as U.S. Citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident (Green Card), any individual who is granted status as a “protected person” under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

• Salary range $100,000 to $130,000 commensurate with experience.
• High deductible medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance, including spouse and children (modest payroll deductions).
• 10 paid holidays per year.
• Supplemental leave (used in conjunction with Washington Paid Family & Medical Leave).
• 401K with matching company funds.
• Quarterly bonus structure.

The Product Engineer serves as the primary technical and quality conduit between outside customers and internal sales, marketing, and production functions.

What you will work on:

• Provide technical/metallurgical support to plant, inside sales, outside sales, and customer (direct and end user) personnel as required.
• Act as principal liaison between customer and plant on quality and technical issues.
• Develop and implement metallurgical practices as necessary to support efforts in product development, quality, recovery, etc.
• Provide quality assurance support. Disposition quarantined metal, claims, discrepant shipments, etc., as necessary in order to sustain "Best in Class" levels of quality and promote customer satisfaction.
• Perform manufacturing investigations on suspect product.
• Maintain compliance to customer and industry specifications. Ensure correct practices, sampling, testing, etc. are associated with each specification. Review incoming specifications for acceptability withing existing metallurgical practices.
• Initiate and execute qualification programs where appropriate, as determined by plant capabilities, customer requirements, and market justification.
• Review and authorize requests for recertification.
• Monitor and audit (as required) vendor activities.
• Comply with all Safety, Quality, and Environmental Regulations.

What you will bring to the role:

• An undergraduate degree in metallurgy or materials science is required. Advanced Degree preferred.
• Five (5) years relevant experience in the aluminum or related (e.g., aerospace) industry (10+ years preferred).
• Excellent problem solving, investigative, experimental, and statistical analysis skills.
• Strong PC skills, including Windows, Word, Excel, and various data collection and analysis packages to be self-sufficient in analysis and report writing.
• Clear understanding of specification and industry requirements.
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) and organizational skills.
• Proven ability to work in teams.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Approximately 90% of the job function is performed in an office setting requiring normal safety precautions. 10% of the job function is required in the plant. There is exposure to operating machinery and a manufacturing environment.

This position has been determined to be a safety-sensitive position and requires a pre-employment drug and alcohol screen that includes marijuana.

We are an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered based on job-related qualifications and abilities. There shall be no discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, veteran, or disability status.

About Kaiser Aluminum:

Talented people join our team because we are a company passionate about environmental sustainability, employee growth, contributing back to our communities and championing an inclusive culture.