Entry-Level Process or Mechanical Engineer

Entry-Level Process Engineer

COMPENSATION $60,000 to $80,000 per year, based on education and experience.

Position Summary

Spokane Industries makes steel castings for some of the largest earth-moving equipment in the world, machines rated at 90+ cubic yards, along with parts for aggregate and other mining applications. These parts take a beating in the field, and they only hold up if the metal is right.

We are looking for an Entry-Level Process Engineer who wants a real challenge. You will work on foundry metallurgy problems from the melt deck forward: hitting the right chemistry in the furnace, controlling the process through pouring and heat treatment, and figuring out why a casting did or didn’t perform. This is a hands-on role on the foundry floor, working alongside melt, molding, heat treat, and quality teams.

If you are curious, hungry to solve hard problems, and want to see your work end up in a mine, this job is for you.

02 / THE WORK

Responsibilities

• Support melting operations to hit target chemistry on every heat, including charge calculations, alloy additions, and review of spectrometer results
• Investigate heats that miss chemistry and help find the root cause in raw materials, furnace practice, or additions
• Track process data across melting, pouring, and heat treatment to find trends and sources of variation
• Investigate casting defects such as shrinkage, porosity, cracking, and inclusions, and help develop corrective actions
• Support heat treatment processes and review hardness and mechanical test results against requirements
• Work with quality on nonconforming castings and with customers’ field performance feedback
• Write and update process instructions, work standards, and checklists for the floor
• Run trials and small experiments to improve yield, quality, and wear life of castings
• Follow all plant safety practices around molten metal, furnaces, and heavy equipment

03 / REQUIREMENTS

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Metallurgical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related engineering or science discipline (new graduates welcome)
• Coursework or working knowledge of physical metallurgy, phase diagrams, and heat treatment of steel
• Strong interest in foundry work and willingness to work hands-on on the foundry floor, including around furnaces and molten metal
• Comfort working with data in Microsoft Excel

Preferred Qualifications

• Internship, co-op, or project experience in a foundry, steel mill, or heavy manufacturing
• Exposure to steelmaking or melting practice, solidification, or casting process design
• Lab experience with metallography, hardness testing, or spectrometry
• Exposure to root cause analysis or statistical process control
• Interest in wear-resistant materials and mining applications

04 / FIT

Who We Are Looking For

We care more about drive than experience. The right person is curious, asks why, and doesn’t stop at the first answer. You want problems that don’t have a textbook solution, and you are willing to get dirty finding the evidence. You learn fast from the operators and melters who have been doing this for years, and you communicate clearly with them.

What growth looks like

In your first year, you will learn our melting, pouring, and heat treat processes, support investigations, and start owning process improvement projects. Strong performers will grow into a Process Engineer or Metallurgist role with responsibility for a process area.

05 / BENEFITS

Benefits

• Competitive wage with lots of growth potential
• Medical coverage through an ICHRA (Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement)
• Dental and vision
• 401(k) with company matching
• Generous PTO allowance
• Life and short-term disability insurance
• AFLAC supplemental policy options