THE  COMPANY:

Our client is one of the largest North American producers of welded and seamless pipe and premium connections dedicated to serving the oil and gas industry and many industrial markets.  The company is committed to being North America’s energy tubular supplier of choice, with 11 facilities strategically located in key energy-producing areas.  The company operates 24 production facilities around the world, and the company’s product offerings include a wide range of seamless and welded energy tubular products.

NEW ERA OF R&D BEGINS IN HOUSTON

In May of 2011, the company had a ground breaking ceremony on a state of the art R&D Facility in Houston.  The facility features a high bay testing area, a variety of support laboratories, 27,000 square feet of office space, and a two-and-a-half story glass entry atrium at the center point.  Initially, the facility will provide space for 75-90 employees.  The new building is designed to allow room for future staff expansion.

Along with a spacious and attractive building, the new center will feature two high-tech connection testers rated at four million pounds and two million pounds of tension, respectively.  Other key equipment will include a scanning electron microscope (SEM), a collapse tester, tensile and fatigue testers, as well as equipment for a corrosion testing lab.

The Research & Development Center puts our client at the cutting edge of technology.  Not only will they have some of the world’s best equipment and processes here, but they will have some of the world’s top professionals in the fields of engineering, science, manufacturing and metallurgy the company has generally relied on third parties to perform much of the connections testing and metallurgical inspection in the U. S. to ensure its pipes meet the highest quality standards.  The Research & Development Center will bring in-house much of the work involving simulation, modeling and analysis that has been performed by outside providers.

This highly important work covers all areas related to pipe design and inspection, including alloy design, welding, mechanical forming, connection integrity, non-destructive testing, and others.  Finally, the center will also work to improve the quality of steelmaking itself, engaging in a wide range of metallurgical research involving both carbon- and micro-alloyed steels.

THE  POSITION:
The General Metallurgy Research Engineer works under the supervision of the R&D Director.

Responsibilities:
·        To execute research and product development projects in accordance with the Company’s
       strategic goals.
·        To devise Design of Experiments (DOE) for operation and research experiments as needed.
·        Perform Metallurgical investigations as required.
·        To supervise the activities of testing and research in heat treatment, mechanical testing and
       metallography Laboratories, as it pertains to his/her area of responsibility.
·        Write project reports.

Experience:
·       Experience in applied research in alloy design, high frequency welding, heat treatment or
      pipe making is required.
·      Past experience in Steel or pipe development is required.
·       Experience in the application of Finite Element analysis and modeling in steel making and
      processing is highly desirable.
·       Experience in the microstructure-properties correlation is an asset.
·       Experience in the use of Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) is an asset.
·       Experience in Failure analysis of steel products is desirable.

Education:
·       Minimum of a Master degree in Metallurgy, or Material science.
·       Degree program to include Physical Metallurgy, Mechanical Metallurgy, Fracture
      Mechanics, Material processing (Steel melting, casting, hot deformation, cold forming, and
      Welding).
·        Courses in process control, process optimization and efficiency improvement are essential.
·        Courses in Corrosion, heat treatment and welding metallurgy will be an asset.
·        Knowledge of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Modeling is desirable.

SUMMARY:
This is an excellent opportunity to be part of one of the most state-of-the-art R&D facilities in the industry.  Our client provides an excellent work environment with upward mobility within the company.  The company will provide a competitive compensation package and excellent company benefits.

All contact will be confidential and interested candidates should contact Jeff Kapustka at 713-781-6881 or email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  (FF#521)