Lead Metallurgical Process Engineer – Metallurgy, Heavy Forging

Westinghouse Electric Company

Lead Metallurgical Process Engineer defining how Project FORGE manufactures ultra-large metal components. Joining a startup leading innovations in nuclear reactor design.

Posted 5/19/2026full-timeRemote • District of Columbia • 🇺🇸 United StatesSenior💰 $179,000 - $203,000 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Define the process flow for ultra-large forging operations: melting, casting, ingot conditioning, forging sequences, and heat treatment.
Study existing world-class facilities to understand current best practice, and then systematically challenge assumptions about why each process step exists and how it should be executed.
Understand the process steps, parameters, and physical/chemical phenomena that drive homogenization and impurity removal during large ingot casting.
Develop forging process models from first principles: deformation mechanics, thermal profiles, microstructural evolution, and die design for components including reactor pressure vessel shells, steam generator forgings, turbine rotor shafts, and defense applications.
Identify opportunities to fundamentally improve quality, energy consumption, and capital equipment requirements relative to existing global benchmarks.
Collaborate with the project team to produce equipment cost and construction schedule estimates to drive project stage gate deliverables.
Develop the preliminary process design basis document that will feed into detailed engineering for the melting, forging, and heat treatment shops.
Interface with Japanese and allied technical partners to absorb operational knowledge while maintaining an independent, critical perspective on process design.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Deep understanding of the process steps, parameters, and physical/chemical phenomena that drive homogenization and purity during from stock materials through large ingot casting.
Deep understanding of grain structure formation as a function of heat treatment parameters
Deep understanding of the thermomechanics of open-die forging, including deformation behavior of low-alloy and stainless steels at forging temperatures, grain refinement mechanisms, and the relationship between forging parameters and final mechanical properties.
Experience with large-scale metal forming, heat treatment, or steelmaking processes—ideally in an environment that valued process optimization and cost discipline, not just process execution.
A demonstrated track record of challenging conventional approaches and developing novel process solutions based on fundamental understanding rather than precedent.
Comfort operating as the domain expert on a team of sharp generalists who will constantly ask “why?”—and the intellectual humility to say “I don’t know yet, let’s figure it out.”
7–15 years of experience. We are specifically looking for someone who has enough depth to be authoritative but has not spent so long in a single paradigm that they cannot see outside it.
Experience in downstream precision machining is a bonus.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Competitive compensation packages
401k with company match
Medical, dental, vision plans
Generous vacation policy, plus holidays

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

process flow definitionmeltingcastingingot conditioningforging sequencesheat treatmentdeformation mechanicsthermal profilesmicrostructural evolutiondie design

Soft Skills

collaborationcritical thinkingintellectual humilityproblem-solvingprocess optimizationcost disciplinechallenging assumptionsnovel process solutionsdomain expertiseadaptability