Job Description

Machine Design Engineer

United Aluminum Corporation | North Haven, Connecticut

On-Site | Full-Time | Bonus Eligible

Competitive Compensation Based on Knowledge, Skills & Experience

Relocation Assistance May Be Available

Build, Improve and Sustain the Machinery Behind 100+ Years of American Manufacturing

United Aluminum Corporation is seeking an experienced Machine Design Engineer who understands industrial machinery from more than a computer screen.

This is an opportunity for an engineer who enjoys being on the manufacturing floor—studying how equipment operates, talking with the people who run and maintain it, troubleshooting problems, designing improvements, and developing practical engineering solutions that can be fabricated, installed and maintained.

United Aluminum has been rolling aluminum since 1915 and traces its history to a New Haven scrap and metals business founded in 1891. Today, the company operates its specialty aluminum rolling facility in North Haven, Connecticut, producing Custom Rolled® aluminum coil for customers around the world.

Our operation combines generations of manufacturing knowledge with specialized metal-processing technology. Equipment includes Sendzimir rolling mills (Z-Mills), aluminum coil slitting equipment, annealing systems, coil-handling equipment and supporting industrial machinery used to roll, slit, anneal and finish aluminum coil to demanding customer specifications.

For the right engineer, that creates an unusual challenge: understand the machinery we have today, make it better, and help engineer what we will need tomorrow.

The Opportunity

The Machine Design Engineer will work closely with Engineering, Maintenance, Manufacturing, machine operators, outside machine shops and equipment vendors to support and continuously improve United Aluminum's manufacturing operation.

This is a hands-on industrial equipment engineering position.

You may be designing a new machine or system, improving the safety or reliability of existing equipment, troubleshooting a hydraulic or mechanical problem, reverse-engineering a component that is no longer available, creating drawings for a machine shop, or working with operators to redesign equipment based on what they have learned from years of running it.

United Aluminum values the knowledge of the people closest to its equipment. The successful engineer must therefore be technically strong and collaborative, someone who will listen to operators, maintenance technicians, machinists and other engineers and incorporate their knowledge into practical designs.

What You'll Do:

• Conceptualize and design industrial machinery and equipment used in aluminum processing.
• Design modifications, upgrades and safety improvements for existing production machinery.
• Develop mechanical systems and components for rolling, slitting, annealing, coil handling and related manufacturing processes.
• Troubleshoot mechanical and hydraulic systems and develop practical, sustainable solutions.
• Evaluate existing machinery and determine how equipment can be improved, modernized or adapted to changing production requirements.
• Work directly with operators and Maintenance to understand equipment performance and identify opportunities for improved reliability, safety, maintainability and productivity.
• Participate in collaborative design reviews and modify designs based on practical feedback from the people who operate and maintain the equipment.
• Create accurate 3D models, detailed manufacturing drawings, specifications and clear assembly documentation.
• Apply a strong understanding of machine-shop practices and manufacturability when designing parts and equipment.
• Work directly with internal resources and outside machine shops to ensure components can be efficiently manufactured and assembled.
• Communicate technical specifications and design intent to vendors and equipment manufacturers.
• Support equipment fabrication, installation, testing, troubleshooting and commissioning.
• Assist with evaluating new and used manufacturing equipment and technology.
• Work with machine controls and automated equipment as part of integrated mechanical systems.
• Provide Engineering support to Manufacturing when equipment problems require hands-on investigation and problem solving.

We are looking for an engineer who has spent meaningful time around industrial machinery.

The strongest candidates will bring:

• Significant experience designing heavy industrial machinery, metal-processing equipment, production machinery or similarly complex mechanical systems.
• Hands-on knowledge of how industrial equipment is fabricated, assembled, operated, maintained and Experience with hydraulic system design and troubleshooting.
• Strong mechanical troubleshooting and root-cause problem-solving skills.
• Thorough understanding of machining and machine-shop practices.
• Experience developing parts and assemblies that can actually be manufactured, installed and maintained, not simply modeled.
• Strong 3D CAD/solid-modeling capability. Autodesk Inventor is preferred; experience with SolidWorks, Creo or comparable platforms will also be considered.
• Ability to produce high-quality manufacturing drawings and clear assembly documentation.
• Working knowledge of machine controls; experience with automated machinery is highly desirable.
• Experience working with equipment manufacturers, fabrication shops, machine shops and other technical vendors.
• Ability to communicate effectively with operators, maintenance personnel, machinists, engineers, management and outside suppliers.
• Curiosity, humility and a willingness to learn from people with deep institutional and equipment knowledge.
• Experience with rolling mills, coil-processing equipment, metal forming, steel or aluminum processing, extrusion equipment, wire drawing/rolling, slitting equipment or other heavy metal-processing machinery would be particularly valuable.
• A BS in Mechanical Engineering with significant relevant experience is preferred; however, United Aluminum will also consider candidates whose extensive hands-on machine-design and industrial-equipment experience provides an equivalent technical foundation.

More Than a Design Role

This position is well suited to an engineer who doesn't want to spend the entire day behind a desk.

United Aluminum's equipment and manufacturing processes have evolved over generations. Some engineering challenges involve modern technology; others require understanding, improving or redesigning equipment that has accumulated decades of operating knowledge.

That means the successful engineer must be comfortable walking onto the production floor, observing the machine, talking with operators and Maintenance, taking measurements, asking questions, developing a solution, and then staying involved through fabrication and implementation.

Some compensated after-hours work will occasionally be necessary when equipment installations or maintenance activities must occur outside normal production hours.

Travel is limited and may reach approximately 10% for vendor visits, customer needs, trade shows or evaluating used equipment.

Career Opportunity

United Aluminum is looking beyond simply filling an engineering position.

This position is best suited to an engineer who can become a trusted technical resource within the organization, build relationships throughout Manufacturing and Engineering, preserve and expand institutional equipment knowledge, and take increasing responsibility over time.

For the right individual, this position offers the potential for future leadership within United Aluminum's Engineering Department.

Compensation & Relocation

United Aluminum will offer a competitive compensation package negotiated based upon the successful candidate's knowledge, skills, experience and overall fit for the position.

The position is bonus eligible.

United Aluminum recognizes that the specialized industrial machinery experience required for this role may require looking beyond Connecticut. Relocation assistance may be discussed for the right individual and situation.

About United Aluminum

United Aluminum Corporation is a specialty aluminum rolling mill headquartered in North Haven, Connecticut with roots from 1915. For more than a century, United Aluminum has continually expanded and modernized its capabilities while remaining focused on Custom Rolled® aluminum coil.

Today, United Aluminum rolls, slits and anneals aluminum coil to customer specifications using specialized equipment and processing expertise developed over generations.

United Aluminum is ISO 9001:2015 certified and serves customers requiring a wide range of aluminum alloys, tempers, gauges, finishes and custom processing capabilities.

If you are a hands-on Mechanical Engineer who enjoys understanding how machines work, why they fail, how they can be improved and how the next generation should be designed, we would like to hear from you.

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