Research Engineer - Welding

Responsibilities

• Lead welding projects, review welding specifications and develop optimal welding practices for commercial and branded steel, and overlay products in accordance with industry standards and codes (AWS, ASME, API, etc.), or internal specifications. Assists in the design, execution and reporting of product/process development and/or quality improvement trials.
• Oversee R&D’s welding, thermal cutting and ultrasonic inspection equipment.
• Interact with plant operating and technical services personnel on project or technical service activities (planning, execution and reporting). Assist with maintaining the welder qualification program at SSAB mills in North America.
• Review engineering designs for welding requirements and manage weldability testing and welding qualifications for commercial and branded plate products.
• Interpret data and provide recommendations to Operations or Commercial management with limited guidance from supervisor or team leader. Provide training for operations welding personnel.
• Conduct failure analysis of welded components.
• Provide consulting services and support customers with welding related issues.
• Participate in weld-focused technical groups and professional organizations both internally and externally.
• Prepare clear and concise written reports as required. May present technical papers within and outside the company.
• Provide technical direction and supervision to research technicians and/or coop students working on welding related projects.
• Review and interpret nondestructive examination (NDE) procedures and specifications. Establish working procedures for conducting NDE inspections utilizing conventional ultrasonic inspection and phased-array.

• MSc. in Welding or Mechanical Engineering or related discipline
• Strong technical writing and organizational skills
• Strong analytical capabilities
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Good computer skills

• PhD in Welding or Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline
• Background in material science
• Professional Engineer or Certified Welding Engineer (CWE) licensed welding engineer
• Good knowledge of metallurgy, welding metallurgy and weldability testing of steel
• Hands‑on experience with arc welding processes (GMAW, GTAW, FCAW, SMAW, SAW, etc.)
• Experience with welding of dissimilar materials and ultra‑high strength steels
• Experience in using metallographic lab equipment and processes, including sample preparation, optical (LOM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and electron back scatter diffraction (EBSD)
• Experience with mechanical testing and characterization of weldments, including bend testing, cross weld tensile testing, HAZ CVN testing, microhardness testing, chemical etching, and weldability testing methods to determine susceptibility to hydrogen cracking
• Experience in non‑destructive testing (NDT), including ultrasonic testing (UT), dye‑penetrant testing (PT), and magnetic particle testing (MT)
• Experience with industry codes and standards, including but not limited to AWS, ASME, ASTM, API, ABS, Lloyds, EN/ISO

This position has no supervisory responsibilities but must maintain a close working relationship with R&D staff and other personnel.

The employee will frequently be required to:

• This position operates in an office environment. The role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, network tools/equipment, phones, photocopiers and scanners. This role is partially sedentary (average of 6 hours per day), however, some standing and walking is required.
• The position requires working with laboratory equipment such as optical microscopes, SEM/EDS/EBSD, welding, bend testing, polishing machines, hardness testing, tensile testing, CVN testing, DWTT machine, band saws, thermal cutting, waterjet cutting, surface grinder, heat treating furnaces, and crane.
• The position requires preparing various acid solutions for etching steel specimens such as sulfuric acid, picric acid, oxalic, nital etc.

The employee will…