Heat Treat Operator

Position Summary

Electro-Methods Inc. is seeking a skilled and quality-focused Heat Treat Operator to perform heat-treatment processes supporting the manufacture of precision aerospace components. The Heat Treat Operator is responsible for safely setting up, operating, monitoring, and maintaining heat-treatment equipment in accordance with work instructions, customer specifications, and applicable aerospace quality standards.

The successful candidate will understand the importance of temperature control, process discipline, accurate documentation, material traceability, and strict compliance in a regulated manufacturing environment.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Set up and operate heat-treatment furnaces, ovens, vacuum furnaces, quench systems, and related equipment.
• Review routers, work instructions, drawings, and customer specifications to determine required heat-treatment cycles.
• Load and unload components using approved fixtures, racks, baskets, and handling methods.
• Select and execute the correct heating, soaking, cooling, quenching, tempering, aging, stress-relieving, or annealing cycle.
• Monitor temperature, time, pressure, vacuum, atmosphere, cooling rate, and other critical process parameters.
• Verify that equipment settings and furnace programs conform to approved operating procedures.
• Attach, position, and verify thermocouples and temperature-sensing devices when required.
• Review furnace charts, digital records, and other process data for completeness and conformance.
• Perform hardness testing or other basic process-verification activities, when trained and authorized.
• Maintain positive identification, segregation, and traceability of materials and components throughout the process.
• Accurately complete production travelers, furnace logs, inspection records, and electronic transactions.
• Identify and immediately report process deviations, equipment malfunctions, damaged parts, or potential nonconformances.
• Place suspect product on hold and support the nonconformance and corrective-action processes.
• Perform routine equipment checks and basic preventive-maintenance activities.
• Coordinate with Quality, Engineering, Production Control, and other manufacturing departments to maintain workflow and delivery commitments.
• Handle aerospace components carefully to prevent contamination, distortion, mixing, or damage.
• Maintain a clean, organized, and safe work area using established 5S and housekeeping practices.
• Participate in continuous-improvement initiatives involving safety, quality, productivity, and process reliability.
• Follow all company policies, environmental requirements, safety procedures, and applicable regulatory standards.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED.
• Previous manufacturing experience, preferably involving heat treatment, thermal processing, metallurgy, furnaces, welding, or other special processes.
• Ability to read and follow detailed work instructions, process specifications, routers, and technical documentation.
• Basic mathematical skills, including the ability to work with time, temperature, tolerances, and measurements.
• Ability to complete accurate and legible production and quality records.
• Basic computer skills and the ability to enter information into manufacturing or quality systems.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to following controlled processes.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Willingness to work assigned shifts, overtime, and weekends based on production requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Two or more years of heat-treatment experience in an aerospace, automotive, medical-device, or other regulated manufacturing environment.
• Experience operating vacuum, atmosphere, batch, or solution heat-treatment equipment.
• Familiarity with aerospace pyrometry and heat-treatment requirements, including AMS 2750.
• Experience working within AS9100, NADCAP, or comparable quality systems.
• Familiarity with thermocouples, furnace instrumentation, temperature-uniformity requirements, and system-accuracy testing.
• Experience with hardness testing, material traceability, and special-process documentation.
• Experience using ERP, MES, or electronic manufacturing-record systems.
• Powered industrial truck or material-handling certification.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods.
• Ability to frequently bend, reach, push, pull, and perform repetitive tasks.
• Ability to lift and move up to 40 pounds independently and heavier items with assistance or mechanical lifting equipment.
• Ability to use required personal protective equipment, including safety glasses, gloves, hearing protection, face protection, and heat-resistant clothing.
• Sufficient visual acuity to read instruments, process documentation, part identification, and inspection results.
• Ability to work safely around hot surfaces, heated materials, industrial equipment, and moving machinery.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.