Principal Casting Engineer

About the Role

A major aerospace and propulsion technology organization is seeking an experienced Principal Engineer specializing in Castings. This pivotal position acts as the senior technical authority overseeing casting equipment, tooling, procedures, and metallurgical aspects specifically tied to the manufacturing of aero-engine components. The engineer will be instrumental in steering investment casting operations, performing technical assessments, formulating process standards, creating qualification protocols, and mentoring engineering personnel while championing technical excellence within aero-engine casting technology.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead all technical decisions related to casting equipment, tooling, processes, and metallurgy for aero-engine component production as the foremost subject matter expert.
• Serve as the primary authority on investment casting techniques employed for turbine airfoils and other cast aero-engine parts.
• Oversee the selection and define specifications of casting equipment, including vacuum induction melting furnaces, directional solidification and single crystal furnaces, wax injection systems, non-destructive testing (NDT), hot isostatic pressing (HIP), and shell rooms.
• Establish tooling strategies covering wax dies, ceramic core tooling, shell systems, grain selectors, starter blocks, and tooling for large structural castings.
• Provide expert technical guidance on alloy selection, gating and feeding design, solidification modeling, and address defect resolution issues such as porosity, freckles, recrystallization, and grain imperfections.
• Assist in partner technical evaluations alongside the Casting & Forgings Manager.
• Formulate detailed process specifications, qualification plans, and develop technical training programs for the local engineering team.
• Mentor junior engineers and serve as the internal authority on casting metallurgy and processes.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• At least 15 years of direct, hands-on experience in investment casting focused on aero-engine component manufacturing.
• Profound expertise in airfoil casting techniques, including equiaxed, directional solidification (DS), and single crystal (SX) castings, or large structural aero-engine castings.
• Comprehensive knowledge of nickel-based superalloys such as CMSX-4, René N5, MAR-M247, IN738, along with their heat treatment processes.
• Practical experience with shell molding systems, ceramic core production, and methods for controlling grain structure.
• Familiarity with simulation software like ProCAST, MAGMASOFT, or equivalent tools.
• Work history at a Tier 1 casting company or an original equipment manufacturer’s internal casting facility.
• Educational background in Materials Science, Metallurgy, or a related engineering discipline is mandatory, with a PhD or equivalent technical expertise highly preferred.

Preferred Attributes

• Track record of published research, patents, or recognized contributions within the aero-engine casting industry.
• Previous experience in commissioning a greenfield casting manufacturing facility.

Additional Information

Relocation assistance to Abu Dhabi is offered for outstanding international candidates joining the team.