R&D Engineer

Role Overview
C-TEC Plymouth (Michigan, USA) is recruiting a new R&D Engineer in surface treatments and corrosion, primarily to support our aluminum automotive bodysheet and packaging businesses. Working with the ACS group (Analysis, Corrosion, and Surface treatments), the R&D Engineer will contribute to the development/qualification of new pretreatments/coatings, provide technical support for our plants’ pretreatment and coating lines, and perform adhesive bonding and corrosion testing for product qualification and R&D. This role requires most work days to be performed in the Plymouth, Michigan laboratory, but there is hybrid work flexibility on days when laboratory work is not needed. 

The role holder will be expected to:
•    Comply with Environmental, Health, and Safety rules, particularly while working in the laboratories, workshops, and factories.
•    Plan and carry out research studies in the Plymouth lab and with internal and external partners, including the development of the lab with associated tools and methods. 
•    Conduct adhesive bonding and corrosion testing per ISO and OEM requirements for new materials/process developments, both independently and by managing technician(s) or interns. 
•    Collaborate on innovation projects, with engineers and technicians from the Plymouth and French labs, plant engineers, and program managers. Research reports, presentations, and in-person meetings are key to sharing knowledge in a global company.
•    Support our US sites, particularly in Alabama, Kentucky, and West Virginia. This role involves travel to these plants and working with our factory colleagues to perform trials or help troubleshooting.
•    Interact with customers, suppliers, and the research community (universities, national labs, etc.) to advance our products in the domain of surface treatment, bonding, and corrosion protection. 
•    File patents when possible and relevant.
•    Participate in professional conferences and increase skills through international networking. 
Role Requirements 
•    Masters or PhD degree in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science Engineering, or Chemistry, required.
•    The ideal candidate will have 3-5+ years of industry experience in the automotive sector or with aluminum alloys, preferred.  
•    Solid technical and scientific knowledge on metal surfaces and/or coatings and/or surface treatment processes, and ability to apply them effectively for fast-paced R&D projects, required. 
•    Ability to work independently using the wide variety of chemistry, corrosion, and analysis equipment available in the Plymouth lab. Comfortable with laboratory procedures, surface characterization, and data analysis. Experience preferred with SEM-EDS, XPS, GDOES, or FTIR ,required. 
•    Demonstrated ability to work in a team, particularly in a multicultural and cross-functional environment, and to communicate through technical reports/presentations, research papers, and in-person/virtual meetings, required.
•    Having a good command of French and/or German, preferred.
•    20% travel is required, primarily to our plants in Kentucky and Alabama. Initial on-boarding will be three weeks in France. Local travel in Metro Detro area will be required to visit OEM customer and suppliers. 

Who We Are
Constellium is a publicly traded global leader in the design and manufacture of high value-added aluminum products and solutions that primarily support the needs of the automotive, aerospace and packaging industries. Comprising 12,000 employees worldwide, Constellium operates across 25 manufacturing sites in Europe, China, and North America (Muscle Shoals, AL; Bowling Green, KY; Ravenswood, VW; Van Buren, MI; White, GA and plants in Canada and Mexico), with reported 2023 sales exceeding € 7.2 billion.  Constellium is organized around three main operating business units:
•    Packaging and Automotive Rolled Products (P&ARP):  Constellium addresses every facet of this market from finished sheets and coils tailored for packaging applications and automotive manufacturing to the recycling of end-of-life products.   
•    Aerospace & Transportation (A&T):  This business provides technologically advanced aluminum alloys in tailored solutions for the global aerospace, transportation, space and defense sectors. 
•    Automotive Structures and Industry (AS&I):  This unit provides a broad range of advanced product solutions and services for the global automotive industry with the goal of producing lighter, safer, and more fuel efficient gas and electric vehicles. 

Our products and next generation offerings emanate from the group’s world-class R&D centers in the USA, France and the UK, which constitutes Constellium’s innovation engine. Our Research and Technology Center, C-TEC, based in Grenoble (Voreppe, France), employs around 240 people. The C-TEC branch in Plymouth, Michigan USA is primarily focused on automotive research and employs 10 engineers. 

Surface treatments are important in all of Constellium’s major markets, ensuring corrosion-resistance, mechanical, electrical, and/or esthetic functions depending on the application.  For example they are key to the successful adhesive bonding and corrosion protection of aluminum in automotive applications. Our surface treatment research is focused on creating lower cost and higher performing pre-treatments to provide to OEMs. Constellium’s expertise in corrosion is put to use during new material developments, either internally or with suppliers/customers, including our initiatives to increase recycled content in our aluminum and lower our carbon footprint. Our R&D efforts on packaging include providing more environmentally friendly coatings to the market.