Metallurgical Lab Engineer
A well-established tubular products manufacturer on the Gulf Coast is looking for a hands-on Lab Engineer to support quality assurance, materials testing, and compliance across a high-volume production environment. This is an individual contributor role with real technical depth and visibility into both manufacturing and engineering operations.
What You'll Be Doing
You'll own the lab side of quality and compliance, from raw material intake through finished product validation. Day to day, that means running and interpreting metallurgical and chemical analyses, supporting failure investigations with solid root cause documentation, and keeping the lab operating in full compliance with ISO and ASTM standards. API familiarity is a plus, though not a hard requirement.
Specific responsibilities include:
- Reviewing customer specifications and applicable industry standards to confirm materials and process compliance
- Conducting failure analysis and preparing detailed reports with corrective and preventive action recommendations
- Performing chemical and metallurgical analysis on raw materials, in-process samples, and finished products
- Operating optical microscopy and related analytical tools for process optimization and claims analysis
- Supporting internal and external audits and maintaining ISO/API compliance documentation
- Applying statistical analysis and data-driven problem solving to resolve production and quality issues
- Managing sample workflow from preparation through testing, analysis, and reporting
- Maintaining calibration and proper operation of lab equipment
What We're Looking For
A metallurgist or materials engineer with a solid lab background, ideally from a steel mill, tube mill, or metals manufacturing environment. You should be comfortable working independently, digging into data, and translating test results into actionable recommendations for manufacturing and engineering teams.
Experience in pipe mill operations or API-certified environments is preferred but not required. What matters most is a strong metallurgical foundation and the ability to produce accurate, reliable results under production conditions.
Background That Fits
- Degree in Metallurgical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related field
- Experience in a mill or industrial lab setting
- Working knowledge of ISO and ASTM standards
- Familiarity with optical microscopy and materials characterization
- API/OCTG industry exposure is a plus, not a dealbreaker
This is a direct hire opportunity with a stable, growing operation. If you have the metallurgical background and want to do meaningful technical work in a manufacturing environment, let's talk.
