Job Purpose: |
The position is to (1) Leverage materials and microstructure knowledge to developing new alloys and applications with properties in line with customer requirements. (2) Drive applied R&D in FRP consistent with business strategic targets and customer requirements. (3) Develop FRP process-microstructure-property understanding for critical products for developing processes and properties |
Key Result Areas/Accountabilities: | |
Key Result Areas/Accountabilities | Supporting Actions | |
Alloy & Product Development | - Lead development of new aluminum alloy systems for FRP applications.
- Design alloys for automotive body sheet, battery enclosures, cooling plates, busbars, packaging, cookware, architecture, marine, and industrial applications.
- Develop next-generation high-strength, high-formability, corrosion-resistant, and sustainability focused products.
- Support qualification and commercialization of new products with manufacturing plants and customers.
- Drive recycling-tolerant alloy development initiatives.
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Customer & Application Development | - Translate customer requirements into material specifications.
- Define microstructural targets required to meet customer performance requirements.
- Support customer trials and industrial validation.
- Collaborate with OEMs, suppliers, and fabricators.
- Provide technical support during product approval and qualification.
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Computational Materials Development | - Develop predictive structure-property models using data.
- Support digital-first product development methodologies.
- Utilize computational and data analytics tools to accelerate alloy development.
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Process development | - Develop metallurgical operating windows and best practices.
- Support manufacturing plants through scientific problem solving and process optimization.
- Support and improve process capability and robustness of rolling and associated plant processes such as casting, homogenization, hot rolling, cold rolling, annealing and surface treatments.
- Support productivity, and quality improvement initiatives.
- Work directly with plant technical teams to implement process improvements.
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Failure Analysis | - Lead investigations of manufacturing defects and customer complaints on product performance.
- Conduct laboratory studies to determine root causes.
- Recommend corrective and preventive actions.
- Build technical databases and metallurgical knowledge repositories.
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Project management and execution | - Work with stakeholders to scope the project appropriately
- Work with the team and ensure proper project resource management
- Work closely with external project partners and vendor management
- Keep track of project financials e.g. potential revenue, cost, incremental EBIDTA, cashflow and NPV
- Follow and strengthen stage gate project management and execution e.g. charters, milestone planning, stage gate, QBR etc
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Technical development of self and others | - Attend technical conferences, review technical and academic literature, attend supplier webinars, interact with experts, visit plants etc to stay abreast of technological advancements in the field of aluminium metallurgy, rolling and heat treatments
- Provide trainings to FRP mill operation engineers, operators on operation, scientific principles and latest technology
- Present research findings at forums like manthan, downstream summits etc
- Provide customized mentoring to team members and technical colleagues at HIC and downstream business
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External and internal customer insight generation | - Pursue design thinking and identify the key pain points of the internal/external customer
- Develop keen understanding of the key functionality of product/technology to be developed
- Quantify the value generated for the customer upon attainment of the key technical specifications/features of the product/technology
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Capability enhancement and development | - Maintenance and enhancement of existing lab and pilot capabilities along with the lab-in-charge
- Identify opportunities for external collaboration for capability enhancement
- Identify and prepare capex proposals for in-house capability development
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Knowledge creation and dissemination | - Document the key research findings in high quality, peer reviewed, publication worthy tech memo
- Document and record inventions in Invention Record and work with legal team for patent filing where applicable
- Present non-sensitive research findings in international journals, conferences to more widely disseminate knowledge and showcase Hindalco R&D capabilities
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