The Sr Advanced R&D Engineer/Scientist will serve as a technical expert in metal casting, primarily in ultra-high-purity copper and copper alloy casting intended for semiconductor applications. The role will focus on identifying and developing new casting technologies for advanced applications, improving existing processes and material performance, and solving complex metallurgical and manufacturing challenges. The individual will work across R&D, Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Commercial teams, customers, and equipment suppliers to translate technical innovation into robust, scalable, commercially viable and differentiated products and processes, while contributing to the growth of the technical capabilities and the long-term competitiveness of Solstice’s PVD sputtering Targets business. This position reports directly to senior R&D manager, and will be located at our Spokane, WA, USA.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead R&D programs focused on high-purity metal casting, particularly copper and copper-alloy casting, from concept development to manufacturing implementation.
- Serve as a technical subject-matter expert in casting and metallurgy, providing leadership in process design, material quality, metallurgical performance, and defect prevention.
- Identify, evaluate, and develop new and emerging casting technologies that enable advanced applications, new product capabilities, improved and differentiated material performance.
- Design and execute experimental programs, including test planning, DOE, data analysis, materials characterization, and root-cause investigations.
- Develop and optimize casting processes to achieve consistent purity, microstructure, surface quality, dimensional integrity, and material properties.
- Translate fundamental understanding of process-material-property relationships into robust operating windows, process controls, and product specifications.
- Identify and resolve complex metallurgical and manufacturing challenges, driving improvements in process capability, yield, quality, and reliability.
- Provide technical leadership in the selection, specification, commissioning, and optimization of casting equipment, tooling, instrumentation, and process-control technologies.
- Partner with Process Engineering, Equipment, Quality, Production, Commercial teams, customers, and OEMs to scale up new technologies and transfer developmental processes into production.
- Stay current with advancements in high-purity metal casting technologies, materials characterization, and modeling/simulations, and translate relevant innovations into new products and processes.
- Drive technical innovation through new product and process concepts, intellectual property development, patents, and technical mentorship. .
Must Have
- Master’s or Ph.D. in Metallurgy/Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline.
- Minimum 6 years of experience in metal casting in an Industrial R&D/Manufacturing environment.
- Fundamental knowledge of pure metal and alloy casting, including melting, solidification, phase transformation, fluid dynamics, heat & mass transfer, defect formation, etc.
- Experience with materials characterization, particularly for casting defects, contamination and microstructure.
- Demonstrated ability to provide technical leadership and solve complex, multidisciplinary problems in a cross-functional environment.
We Value
- Experience with ultra-high-purity copper and copper-alloy casting for semiconductor applications.
- Experience with computational modeling of metal casting processes.
- Experience in scaling up R&D concepts to commercial scale.
- Experience with process modeling, Design of Experiments (DOE), statistical process control, data analytics, and root-cause analysis.
- Strong project leadership, teamwork, interpersonal, and communication skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional teams and drive successful project outcomes.
- Ability to work independently and manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
COMPENSATION
The annual base salary range for this position is $127865k - $159500k. Please note that this salary information serves as a general guideline. Solstice Advanced Materials considers various factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to the scope and responsibilities or the position, the candidate's work experience, education and training, key skills, as well as market and business considerations.
BENEFITS OF WORKING FOR SOLSTICE ADVANCED MATERIALS
In addition to a competitive salary, leading-edge work, and developing solutions side-by-side with dedicated experts in their fields, Solstice Advanced Materials employees are eligible for a comprehensive benefits package. This package includes employer-subsidized Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance; Short-Term and Long-Term Disability; 401(k) match, Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Savings Accounts, EAP, and Educational Assistance; Parental Leave, Paid Time Off (for vacation, personal business, sick time, and parental leave), and 12 Paid Holidays. For more information visit: click here
Solstice Advanced Materials is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to age, race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, nationality, sex, religion, or veteran status. Learn more about inclusion and diversity: click here
About Us
About Solstice Advanced Materials
Solstice Advanced Materials is a leading global specialty materials company that advances science for smarter outcomes. Solstice offers high-performance solutions that enable critical industries and applications, including refrigerants, semiconductor manufacturing, data center cooling, nuclear power, protective fibers, healthcare packaging and more. Solstice is recognized for developing next-generation materials through some of the industry's most renowned brands such as Solstice®, Genetron®, Aclar®, Spectra®, Fluka™, and Hydranal™. Partnering with over 3,000 customers across more than 120 countries and territories and supported by a robust portfolio of over 5,700 patents, Solstice’s approximately 4,000 employees worldwide drive innovation in materials science. For more information, visit Advanced Materials.
Skills Required
- Master's or Ph.D. in Data Science, Materials Science, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, or a related field
- At least 5 years of experience in data analysis or data science roles within a materials science or engineering domain
- Proficiency in Python and familiarity with chemistry or materials data manipulation libraries such as RDKit
- Experience developing physics-informed neural networks, surrogate models, cheminformatics models, or quantitative structure-property relationship models
- Strong understanding of statistical modeling, machine learning algorithms, and data visualization techniques
- Experience with data visualization tools or packages such as Tableau, Power BI, Origin, matplotlib, or seaborn
- Experience with databases such as SQL or NoSQL
- Knowledge of advanced materials including polymers, nanomaterials, ceramics, metals, small molecules, formulations, or composites
- Familiarity with experimental methods in materials characterization and testing
- Familiarity with chemical manufacturing processes, process modeling, and process optimization
- Strong problem-solving, critical thinking, interpersonal, and communication skills
- Ability to work independently and manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment
- Commitment to continuous learning in data science and materials science
What We Do
Solstice, part of Kin + Carta, is a modern software engineering firm that helps Fortune 500 companies seize new opportunities through world-changing digital solutions. As strategists and consultants, we help organizations evolve their digital strategy to solve mission-critical problems. As designers and developers, we build incredible hardware and software solutions that transcend a standalone product and transform an organization’s relationship with its customers. As instructors and coaches, we help companies transform from the inside out by adopting a high-speed culture of innovation. We’re strategists, researchers, designers, and engineers hell-bent on changing the way the world does business. We’re headquartered in Chicago and have delivery offices in New York, London, and Buenos Aires. For more information about Solstice, visit solstice.com
