About the Position

The incumbent’s primary focus area is physical metallurgy and must have a strong knowledge of thermomechanical behavior of steel. He/she must have or be capable of developing knowledge of as-rolled and heat treatment processes, and will be involved in activities related to alloy development and process optimization in order to ensure that finished products meet necessary properties for various applications. The incumbent will work in the SSAB state-of-the-art Research and Development facility located in the Muscatine, Iowa. The position reports to the Director, Research and Development and has a close working relationship with other R&D staff, Technical Services, Applications Engineering, and Operations personnel.

Main Responsibilities

• Develop optimal chemistries for different as-rolled products to meet customer requirements.
• Develop reheating and rolling practices to ensure finished products meet properties for the intended applications.
• Conduct required laboratory tests, such as tensile, CVN, DWTT, bending, and hardness, to verify that products conform to customer requirements, and for product and process development.
• Conduct metallographic analysis to investigate microstructures of finished products for use in alloy optimization and process development.
• Conduct failure analyses and root cause investigations of any quality issues related to product development.
• Write technical reports to document research work and findings from metallurgical investigations.
• Read published papers and communicate with colleagues to keep current with developments within the steel industry and academia regarding physical metallurgy in order to offer guidance on possible new products or changes to improve existing products.

Education, Experience, and Competencies

Required:

• MSc. in Metallurgical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or related discipline
• At least three years of experience in the steel industry or academic work focused on thermo-mechanical deformation of steel.
• Strong analytical skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Experience in using lab equipment such as polishing machine, optical microscope and SEM/EDS desirable
• Strong knowledge of the impact of microstructure on product performance. Proficient in using the EBSD technique for microstructural characterization and crystallographic texture analysis.
• Experience in conducting laboratory tests to investigate the properties of steel and failure mechanisms preferred
• Regular and reliable attendance

Preferred:

• PhD. in Metallurgical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or related discipline
Educational background in material science, and a strong knowledge of thermo s -mechanical deformation process

Position Type - Work Hours - Travel Requirements

• Position is full time, exempt
• Position works an eight (8) hour day shift, Monday through Friday – additional overtime as needed
• Travel for this position is necessary and expected to comprise up to 20-25% of work hours – some international travel is possible
Onsite presence required