Lead Coating Engineer

Job Description Summary

The Lead Coating Engineer is responsible for implementing the industrialization, qualification, and sustainment of coating repair processes (e.g., HVOF, Plasma Spray, thermal barrier coatings, overlay coatings) for heavy-duty gas turbine components. This role provides technical leadership across coating operations, ensuring process capability, compliance to GE Vernova specifications and alignment with SQDC (Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost) objectives.

The successful candidate will catch coating process development handover from Advanced Manufacturing & Repair Technology (AMRT) into production, implement qualification readiness and robust process controls to enable sustainable and high-quality coating operations.

Job Description

Roles & Responsibilities (R&R):

Leadership & Strategy

• Act as the subject matter expert for coating processes (Thermal Spray - HVOF, Plasma).
• Provide technical direction and mentorship to coating engineers and technicians.
• Interface with AMRT, Quality, Operations, and Product Engineering to industrialize and sustain coating repairs.

• Lead First Piece Qualification (FPQ) and Pilot Lot Qualification (PLQ) for coating processes.
• Develop and maintain frozen parameters, control plans, and qualification documentation.
• Ensure coating processes meet or exceed Cpk capability requirements.

• Ensure coating operations comply with GE Vernova specifications and EHS requirements.
• Implement Statistical Process Control (SPC) and monitor key process metrics (e.g., thickness, adhesion, porosity, Cpk).
• Lead troubleshooting, root cause analysis (RCA), and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Partner with Operations to ensure coating equipment readiness, preventive maintenance, and calibration.
• Support production in resolving technical issues, escalating development-related concerns to AMRT when required.
• Drive safety risk and CoPQ (Cost of Poor Quality) reduction initiatives related to coatings.

• Mentor junior engineers and technicians in coating technology and best practices.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to deliver SQDC targets.
• Lead in Lean Kaizen, audit preparation, and compliance audit activities.

• Bachelor's degree in Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in coating processes (Thermal Spray - HVOF, Plasma, Cold Spray) in power generation, aerospace or equivalent industry.
• Proven track record of coating process industrialization, qualification, and control.
• Experience with SPC, Six Sigma, and Lean manufacturing practices.

• Strong leadership and coaching skills, with the ability to influence across functions.
• Excellent problem-solving, troubleshooting, and root cause analysis skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, highly dynamic environment.
• Commitment to safety, quality, and compliance.