Job Title: Principal Engineer, Castings
Location: UAE
Reporting to: Manager, Castings & Forgings
Job Purpose:
A leading aerospace and propulsion technology company is seeking a Principal Engineer, Castings to serve as the senior technical authority for casting equipment, tooling, processes, and metallurgy related to aero-engine component production. This role will provide expert guidance across investment casting operations, support technical evaluations, develop process specifications and qualification plans, and mentor engineering teams while driving technical excellence in aero-engine casting technologies.
Key Responsibilities:
- Serve as the senior subject-matter expert guiding all technical decisions on casting equipment, tooling, processes, and metallurgy for aero-engine component production.
- Act as the technical authority on investment casting processes for turbine airfoils and other aero-engine castings
- Guide selection and specification of casting equipment (vacuum induction melting furnaces, DS/SX furnaces, shell rooms, wax injection, NDT, HIP, etc.)
- Define tooling strategies — wax dies, ceramic core tooling, shell systems, grain selectors, starter blocks, large structural casting tooling
- Provide technical leadership on alloy selection, gating and feeding design, solidification modelling, and defect resolution (porosity, freckles, recrystallization, grain defects)
- Support partner technical evaluation alongside the Manager
- Develop process specifications, qualification plans, and the technical training curriculum for the local team
- Mentor junior engineers and act as the in-house go-to expert on casting metallurgy and process
Required Experience:
- 15+ years of hands-on experience in investment casting of aero-engine components
- Deep expertise in airfoil casting (equiaxed, DS, and/or SX) and/or large structural aero-engine castings
- Strong working knowledge of nickel-based superalloys (CMSX-4, René N5, MAR-M247, IN738, etc.) and associated heat treatment
- Hands-on experience with shell systems, ceramic cores, and grain control techniques
- Familiarity with simulation tools (ProCAST, MAGMASOFT, or similar)
- Background at a Tier 1 caster or OEM in-house casting facility
- Engineering degree in Materials Science, Metallurgy, or related; PhD or equivalent technical depth strongly preferred
Advantageous:
- Published work, patents, or recognised industry standing in aero-engine casting
- Prior experience commissioning a greenfield casting facility
Relocation support to Abu Dhabi is available for exceptional international candidates.
