Heat Treatment Specialist

About the role

The Heat Treatment Specialist will lead a team of technicians to develop, implement, and monitor heat‑treatment processes for components produced through casting, welding, machining, and forging. This role ensures metallurgical quality, supports welding qualification, and collaborates with foundry and engineering teams to optimise production.

Key responsibilities

• Supervise assigned technicians and coordinate activities to meet manufacturing and maintenance objectives.
• Develop heat‑treatment cycles and work instructions for processes such as hardening, tempering, annealing, normalising, stress relieving and solution treatment.
• Analyse casting defects (cracking, distortion, hardness variation) and work with foundry teams to improve quality.
• Define and monitor pre‑heating, post‑weld heat treatment (PWHT) and stress‑relieving procedures to meet mechanical specifications.
• Operate and control induction hardening machines, furnaces and related equipment, managing temperatures, soak times and cooling rates.
• Conduct hardness testing, interpret metallurgical test results and review microstructure reports.
• Support welding qualification activities and develop related procedures.
• Assist in foundry operations including sand‑mold casting, die‑casting, pattern making and melt‑pouring.

Required profile

• Proven experience in developing and executing heat‑treatment processes for aerospace or defence components.
• Strong knowledge of casting, welding, forging and machining impacts on heat‑treatment outcomes.
• Ability to lead a technical team and communicate results to engineers and management.
• Familiarity with ISO 31000 risk‑management and ISO 45001 occupational health and safety standards.

Required skills

• Heat‑treatment cycle development (hardening, tempering, annealing, normalising, stress relieving, solution treatment).
• Induction hardening machine operation and furnace control.
• Hardness testing and metallurgical analysis.
• Casting process expertise (sand‑mold, die‑casting, pattern making).
• Failure analysis techniques and equipment handling.
• Knowledge of PWHT and pre‑heating requirements for welded components.
• Understanding of ISO 31000 risk management and ISO 45001 HSE standards.