Job Purpose:
The Senior Methodology Engineer is responsible for developing, standardizing, and continuously improving metallurgical and operational methodologies across aluminum recycling, melting, alloying, casting, and downstream processes. The role ensures implementation of best practices, optimization of process performance, product quality, metal recovery, energy efficiency, safety, and sustainability.
The position serves as the technical authority for process methodologies and supports commissioning, ramp-up, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement initiatives throughout the plant.
Key Accountabilities:
Health, Safety and Risk Management
- Promote safe operating practices and process safety culture.
- Ensure compliance with environmental regulations and company standards.
- Drive initiatives to reduce:
- Energy consumption.
- CO₂ emissions.
- Waste generation.
- dross generation.
- Support ESG and recycled-content reporting requirements.
Process Methodology and Standardization
- Develop, maintain, and continuously improve operating methodologies for:
- Scrap receiving and preparation.
- Sorting and upgrading technologies.
- Charging practices.
- Melting and holding furnace operations.
- Alloying and metal treatment processes.
- Fluxing and dross management.
- Billet and slab casting operations.
- Homogenization and product handling.
- Establish standard operating procedures (SOPs), work instructions, and process standards.
- Ensure methodologies are aligned with industry’s best practices and company operational excellence requirements.
- Lead process optimization studies to improve:
- Yield and recovery.
- Productivity.
- Product quality.
- Energy consumption.
- Furnace performance.
- Environmental performance
Technical Support and Continuous Improvement
- Provide technical support to operations, maintenance, and quality teams.
- Analyze process data and identify opportunities for improvement.
- Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for:
- Quality deviations.
- Metal losses.
- Process instability.
- Productivity issues.
- Furnace abnormalities.
- Utilize Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement methodologies.
- Lead process capability and benchmarking studies.
Aluminum Recycling Expertise
- Develop methodologies for processing various scrap categories, including:
- Post-industrial scrap.
- Post-consumer scrap.
- UBC (Used Beverage Cans).
- Tense, Twitch, and mixed scrap.
- Prime aluminum feed.
- Internal returns and process scrap.
- Optimize:
- Metal recovery and yield.
- Scrap blend strategies.
- Contamination management.
- Salt slag and dross generation.
- Recycled content performance.
- Support implementation of circular economy and sustainability initiatives.
Furnace and Melting Operations
Provide technical leadership for:
- Tilting melting furnaces.
- Side well furnaces.
- Holding furnaces.
- De-coating furnace
- Launder and molten metal transfer systems.
Optimize:
- Charging methodologies.
- Burner tuning and combustion efficiency.
- Heat transfer.
- Fuel consumption.
- Furnace refractory life.
- Shell temperature monitoring practices.
- Furnace campaign management
Casting Methodology
Develop and optimize methodologies for:
- DC billet casting.
- DC slab casting.
- Grain refining and alloy additions.
- Degassing and filtration.
- Casting parameter optimization.
- Water cooling practices.
- Butt curl control.
- Surface quality improvement.
- Defect prevention and reduction.
Investigate and resolve casting defects including:
- Cracks.
- Bleeds.
- Segregation.
- Inclusions.
- Surface imperfections.
- Porosity.
Minimum Qualifications, Experience and Competencies:
Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree in:
- Metallurgical Engineering.
- Materials Engineering.
- Chemical Engineering.
- Mechanical Engineering.
- Master’s degree is preferred.
Minimum Experience:
- 10–15 years of experience in aluminum production and recycling.
Including experience in:
- Secondary aluminum recycling plants.
- Casthouse operations.
- Melting and holding furnaces.
- Billet and slab casting.
- Process engineering and methodology development.
- Commissioning and start-up projects.
- Continuous improvement and operational excellence programs.
Skills:
- Aluminum metallurgy.
- Scrap classifications and recycling technologies.
- Furnace technologies and combustion systems.
- Alloy chemistry and metal treatment.
- Billet and slab casting processes.
- Metal recovery and yield optimization.
- Dross and salt slag management.
- Process control systems and automation.
- Statistical process analysis.
- Root cause analysis methodologies.
- Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma.
- Operational Excellence principles.
- ISO 9001 and quality systems.
- Environmental and sustainability requirements.
