Senior R&T Engineer

Albany International Corporation is seeking an Sr. R&T Engineer for its Albany Engineered Composites (AEC) business segment. This role is a multi-disciplinary role that will utilize existing experience, as well as gain knowledge on various functions within the R&T organization including preform design, simulation, fabrication, and prototyping using AEC's differentiating technologies.

Albany International Corporation is a global advanced textiles and materials technology and processing company comprised of two businesses: Machine Clothing segment - the world's leading producer of custom-designed fabrics and belts essential to production in the paper, nonwovens, and other process industries; and AEC - a rapidly growing and high-performing supplier of advanced engineered composite structures for the aerospace and defense industry.

Job Purpose

AEC's Research & Technology (R&T) organization is responsible for the development of processes and manufacturing technologies, as well as structural design and physical prototyping of composite parts. We are currently looking for engineer(s) to join our team in support of these activities.

The role of Sr. R&T Engineer is to work as part of a team, supporting, or when appropriate, leading research and development activities related to designing various types of composite preform materials. These materials may involve woven textiles, uni-directional fabrics, preforms utilizing fiber placement, etc. The position entails a broad spectrum of activities, including: developing and documenting new methods and processes; equipment evaluation and development; textile design, specification, and inspection methodology; analysis of composite preform properties (mechanical, as well as dimensional throughout the preforming process) using both simulation software and iterative trials.

The individual hired for the Sr. R&T Engineer position will work as part of a team and take guidance from senior R&T engineers to execute various project tasks. Some on-the-job training should be expected in order to develop experience and skills required for various aspects of composite design and processing that are unique to AEC's advanced material solutions. Responsibilities will be to execute project tasks within a teamwork setting and provide written and oral reports to project leads, managers, and customers.

Job Responsibilities

In the performance of their respective tasks and duties all employees are expected to conform to the following values: Safety, Integrity, Accountable, Respectful, Passion and Innovation. Put Safety first at all times, never compromise on safety for the obtainment of other objectives. Responsible for health and safety of themselves and coworkers.

1. Support the design, verification, and validation process of new products, technologies, and methods, as they apply to composite manufacturing, including material and component fabrication and physical testing.
2. Perform, as necessary, woven preform design, process development, equipment evaluation and manufacturing process modeling using commercial and in-house Computer Aided Design and Engineering (CAD & CAE) software.
3. Develop process understanding through a combined empirical and analytical approach; document findings and present to internal and external stakeholders, as required.
4. Evaluate the results of computational models and compare with experiments to assess the performance of processes, materials and structures.
5. Provide project leaders and supervisors with input for engineering/technical project updates and communication as needed by internal and external customers
6. Nothing in this document restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

Supervisory responsibility: No

Qualifications/Characteristics

• BSc in Textile, Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering (other STEM disciplines and BSc degree with equivalent experience will also be considered) or equivalent work experience with a BS.




• Advanced degree is considered a strong plus




• 3 years' experience in composite, textiles, or related field




• Advanced degree may be considered in lieu of experience




• Demonstrated experience with technical textile design and analysis
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills
• Willingness to perform "hands-on" work in dynamic work setting
• Team player

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with, and knowledge of, weaving related equipment and processes, preferably related to composite manufacturing.
• Knowledge of composite consolidation techniques (Resin Transfer Molding, Autoclave, Vacuum Bag Infusion, etc.)
• Proficient with computer based textile and composite related software




• NedGraphics, EAT, others
• Catia, Solidworks, others
• FiberSIM, PAM-FORM, LSdyna, others




• Knowledgeable in LEAN/6 Sigma tools and methodology
• Computer Aided Design (CAD) skills with Solidworks, AutoCAD, Pro/E, NX, CATIA, etc.
• Demonstrated leadership skills

Working Conditions

Indoor production environment, duties performed indoors, adequate lighting and comfortable temperatures. Occasional exposure to moderate noise and machinery with mechanical moving parts. Ability to work 24/7 schedule and be available as business situations required. Travel may be required on an occasional basis. This role supports manufacturing and is not a candidate for remote work.

Physical requirements

Occasionally positions self to move items up to 25 lbs.

Frequently move about the production floor and office area to attend meetings or trainings.

Frequently operates a computer, enters data into systems, verifies information, etc...

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