Staff Engineer, Thermal Process

About the role

We are seeking a highly skilled & motivated Thermal Process Engineer with expertise in glass melting, glass forming, ceramic firing, or high-temperature material processing to join our team and work on high impact projects within the company. The ideal candidate will play a key role in designing, optimizing, and troubleshooting high temperature processes across various businesses, ensuring efficiency, quality, and sustainability in production. This role will collaborate with cross-functional teams to support process development and manufacturing operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead thermal process performance and continuous improvement within assigned manufacturing or development areas
• Analyze thermal process data, identify root causes, and implement solutions to improve safety, quality, yield, cost, and throughput
• Design and execute experiments, trials, and process evaluations to optimize thermal processes and support technical decisions
• Provide technical leadership in troubleshooting complex thermal process and equipment issues
• Develop and sustain process standards, control plans, operating procedures, and technical documentation for thermal operations
• Partner with operators, technicians, engineers, and cross-functional teams to implement and sustain thermal process improvements
• Drive corrective and preventive actions to improve process reliability, consistency, and performance
• Support implementation of new thermal processes, materials, equipment, and operating methods
• Monitor key performance indicators and use data to prioritize improvement opportunities and escalate risks as needed
• Apply technical expertise in thermal processing, materials, and manufacturing methods to support business objectives
• Contribute to technical knowledge sharing, mentoring, and stronger engineering practices within the team
• Ensure adherence to environmental, health, and safety regulations related to high-temperature processes
• Measure and communicate performance against established objectives, review and interpret data to make recommendations on immediate actions, long term corrective actions, follow-up experiments, etc.
• Document processes and mentor operators and peers on defined processes

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in glass/ceramics, materials science or related technical field
• 5+ years of engineering experience in thermal process environments
• Proven experience in glass melting, glass forming, ceramic firing, or high-temperature material processing
• Strong understanding of thermal dynamics, heat transfer, material science principles, process engineering principles, and manufacturing operations
• Hands-on experience with thermal equipment including furnaces, kilns, and heat exchangers
• Demonstrated ability to analyze process data, identify root causes, and implement effective technical solutions
• Experience designing and executing experiments, trials, and process evaluations to support optimization and process improvement
• Ability to troubleshoot complex thermal process and equipment issues
• Ability to lead technical work across operators, technicians, engineers, and cross-functional teams
• Travel is both domestic and international; frequency and duration vary according to project stage and status, up to 75%

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in glass/ceramics, materials science, or a related engineering discipline
• Engineering project management experience
• Strong technical fundamentals with process research/engineering and materials
• Proficiency in statistics, data analysis, and design of experiments (DOE)
• Experience mentoring engineers and supporting knowledge transfer within a technical team

Benefits

A job that shapes a life. Corning offers you the total package. Your well-being is our priority. Our compensation and benefits package supports your health and wellness, financial aspirations, and career from day one. Company-wide bonuses and long-term incentives align with key business results and ensure you are rewarded when the company performs well. When Corning wins, we all win. As part of our commitment to your financial well-being, we provide a 100% company-paid pension benefit with fixed contributions that grow throughout your career. Combined with matching contributions to your 401(k) savings plan, Corning’s total contributions to your retirement accounts can reach between 7% and 12% of your pay, depending on your age and years of service. Our health and well-being benefits include medical, dental, vision, paid parental leave, family building support, fitness, company-paid life insurance, disability, disease management programs, paid time off, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to support you and your family. Getting paid for our work is important, but feeling appreciated and recognized for those contributions motivates us much more. That’s why Corning offers a recognition program to celebrate successes and reward colleagues who make exceptional contributions.

Pay

The range for this position is $97,286.00 - $133,768.00 assuming full time status. Starting pay for the successful applicant is dependent on a variety of job-related factors, including but not limited to geographic location, market demands, experience, training, and education.