What are the responsibilities and job description for the Thin-Film PVD Process Development Engineer position at Ionbond USA?
Picture your day: you start on the production floor, partner with the Plant Manager to review overnight coating runs, scan SPC charts for signals, and mentor operators on best practices. By mid-morning you’re iterating on PVD recipes, running design-of-experiments to raise yields, and drafting work instructions that keep our quality system audit-ready. After lunch, you lead a quick 5S sweep, facilitate a root-cause review with 8D and Fishbone, and scope an equipment upgrade to unlock throughput. You wrap by training teammates on new procedures and updating PFMEA and Control Plans to support a major scale-up. That’s the rhythm of impact at Ionbond’s Greensboro Coating Center.
About Ionbond — The Surface Engineers™Ionbond provides advanced surface solutions across aerospace, medical, food contact, automotive, decorative, tooling, and fuel cell markets. Our portfolio spans PVD, PACVD, and CVD technologies. With 30 coating centers in 15 countries across Europe, North America, and Asia, we operate one of the world’s largest coating networks. Ionbond is part of the IHI Group of Japan.
What you’ll drive- Serve as a key technical resource for PVD coating operations—developing processes, planning experiments, and mentoring/coaching team members on the full production flow of surface-engineered solutions.
- Identify, recommend, and implement changes that lift throughput, yield, quality, and flow—aligned to business needs.
- Partner with Plant Management on new application development and scale-up of major programs from R&D into production.
- Apply statistical tools to boost process capability; use failure analysis methodologies to investigate issues and pinpoint root causes.
- Propose and execute equipment or process modifications to sustain continuous improvement.
- Maintain and enhance the Quality Management System based on ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 13485:2016, including training plant personnel on procedures and work instructions.
- Deploy Lean tools—5S, Kanban, and Value Stream Mapping—to streamline operations.
- Pitch in with related duties as needed.
- International and local growth opportunities in a diverse, collaborative environment that prizes innovation and customer service excellence.
- Competitive compensation commensurate with experience and education.
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage with affordable premiums and annual deductibles.
- Flexible spending accounts (medical and dependent care).
- Life insurance.
- Short-term and long-term disability.
- Employee assistance program.
- Generous Paid Time Off.
- Tuition Reimbursement.
- 401(k) Safe Harbor Retirement Account with company match.
- Bonus plan eligibility.
- BS in Engineering, Materials Science/Metallurgy, or Plasma Physics.
- 3 years in vacuum coating with a focus on thin films; hands-on PVD coating and equipment experience required.
- Familiarity with ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100D quality standards.
- Proven problem-solving using 8D, Fishbone, and 5 Whys; APQP experience including PFMEA and Control Plans.
- Mechanical design capability; proficiency with AutoCAD or comparable CAD tools.
- Track record managing small to mid-sized projects; excellent written and verbal communication.
- Strong work ethic, detail orientation, and organizational skills.
- Ability to travel domestically and internationally (~10%).
- 5 Why (Root Cause Analysis Method), Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP), Lean Manufacturing principles (5S, Kanban, VSM)
- ISO 9001 experience; AS9100D familiarity
- Chemical engineering concepts; materials science
- Coating processes: PVD, CVD, vacuum coating, thin film coating
- Manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies
- ERP Software
Additionally, the candidate must be able to pass a background check and be eligible to work in the U.S. without sponsorship.
Join us to advance the Ionbond™ family of coatings and services—and help shape the next generation of surface engineering.
Salary : $90,000 - $107,000