Technician

Shape Your World

At Alcoa, you will become an essential part of our purpose: to turn raw potential into real progress. The way we see it, every Alcoan is a work-shaper, team-shaper, idea-shaper, world-shaper.

R&D Technician – ELYSIS

A New Era for the Aluminum Industry

Carbon Free Aluminum

The ELYSIS™ technology is the greatest breakthrough in the aluminum industry since its beginnings in 1886. Work is underway now to further develop this revolutionary new way to produce aluminum, eliminating carbon dioxide and all other greenhouse gas emissions from the traditional smelting process.

The ELYSIS process eliminates the use of carbon anodes, replacing those with proprietary materials. It is the first industrial process that emits oxygen as its by-product and has the potential to transform an entire industry.

In 2018, two international aluminum producers, Alcoa and Rio Tinto, came together to form the ELYSIS joint venture with the provincial government of Quebec. With support from the Canadian Government and Apple, the technology is progressing and is currently being designed to support the construction of new smelters or retrofits.

ELYSIS is headquartered in Montreal, with Technology Research & Development locations in Alma, Quebec, (Canada), in Jonquiere, Quebec, (Canada), in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, (United States), and in France.

Commercial quality metal produced by ELYSIS during the ongoing R&D process is already being used by Apple in a variety of products (The 16-inch MacBook Pro and the iPhone SE); Ab InBEV (cans); Audi (e-tron GT wheels produced by the RONAL Group), and Corona (cans).

Join the ELYSIS team in this exciting work!

About the location

The ELYSIS US Research & Development facility is located in the Alcoa Technical Center (ATC) in New Kensington, Pennsylvania. Located near Pittsburgh, the carbon-free smelting process was first developed at ATC, where a dedicated team is working to reinvent the aluminum industry for a sustainable future.

About the Role

As the R&D Technician I at Alcoa Technical Center (ATC) in New Kensington, PA, you will be an integral member of the research and development team, responsible for conducting experiments, installing and commissioning new equipment, and recording and documenting results and observations systematically and completely in laboratory notebooks and computer databases. This role will be part of a pilot-scale development team, focusing on manufacturing and testing advanced proprietary materials for the development of innovative technology.

Key Activities / Responsibilities:

• Manufacture powders and components and prepare and test samples using laboratory analytical equipment and methods, consisting of LECO chemical analysis, physical measurements, Archimedes density, and various other analytical equipment
• Conduct a variety of laboratory experiments to support technological development
• Collect, organize, and report data to engineering/management personnel
• Install, setup, troubleshoot and maintain new and existing equipment and processes as needed
• Prepare and test samples using laboratory analytical equipment consisting of LECO chemical analysis, density measurements, dimensional measurements, and others.
• A diverse set of skills including strong attention to detail, and the ability to work collaboratively with a team.
• Willingness to learn and grow as part of a dynamic research and development environment
• Responsible for supporting operational tasks to meet project requirements including, but not limited to, material batching and mixing, powder processing (milling and spray drying), forming (die presses), furnace and kiln loading/unloading
• Become knowledgeable about Alcoa EHS standards, policies, and tools to ensure that safety protocols are being followed accordingly.

About you

• High school diploma, GED, trade school degree
• Preference for candidates with Engineering, Science or Laboratory-based education or experience
• Prior experience working in a manufacturing or industrial environment, preferred.
• Ability to perform material handling, weighing, completing process steps in sequence, and documenting process data.
• Basic digital literacy: MS Outlook (email), MS Excel (data entry), MS Access or other database (data entry)
• Comfortable working in a relatively noisy, light-industrial environment
• Flexible with schedule changes.

Diversity: Be Part of an Unprecedented Partnership

At ELYSIS we are committed to an inclusive environment where people feel comfortable to be themselves. We want our people to feel that all voices are heard, all cultures respected and that a variety of perspectives are not only welcome – they are essential to success of the unprecedented partnership that ELYSIS is.

We treat each other respectfully, fairly, compassionately and with dignity regardless of race, gender, nationality, ethnic origin, religion, age, sexual orientation, or anything else that makes us different. At ELYSIS, we particularly welcome and encourage applications from women, the LGBTQIA2 community, mature workers, people with disabilities and people from different cultural backgrounds. ELYSIS is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

Be Part of an Unprecedented Partnership

At ELYSIS we are committed to an inclusive environment where people feel comfortable to be themselves. We want our people to feel that all voices are heard, all cultures respected and that a variety of perspectives are not only welcome – they are essential to success of the unprecedented partnership that ELYSIS is. We treat each other respectfully, fairly, compassionately and with dignity regardless of race, gender, nationality, ethnic origin, religion, age, sexual orientation or anything else that makes us different.

At ELYSIS, we particularly welcome and encourage applications from women, the LGBTQIA2 community, mature workers, people with disabilities and people from different cultural backgrounds.

ELYSIS is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

About the Location

Every day is a new and exciting challenge at the Alcoa Technical Center in New Kensington, PA, just north of Pittsburgh. We develop new technologies with our Breakthrough Technologies team that has the potential to impact the life of millions of people and foster the sustainable footprint from Alcoa to the world. It was here where we developed the technology recently announced in partnership with Rio Tinto, called ELYSIS™, where we will produce aluminum with ZERO emission of greenhouse gases. In fact, we will actually be generating oxygen to our atmosphere during the aluminum production process– a revolution to the aluminum industry!

We are values led, vision driven and united by our purpose of transforming raw potential into real progress. Our commitments to Inclusion, Diversity & Equity include providing trusting workplaces that are safe, respectful and inclusive of all individuals, free from discrimination, bullying and harassment and that our workplaces reflect the diversity of the communities in which we operate.

As a proud equal opportunity workplace and affirmative action employer, Alcoa is dedicated to providing equal opportunities and equal access to all individuals regardless of a person’s gender, age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, nation of origin, disability, veteran status, language spoken or any other characteristic or status protected by the laws or regulations in the places where we operate.

If you have visited our website in search of information on U.S. employment opportunities or to apply for a position, and you require an accommodation, please contact Alcoa Recruiting via email at

[email protected].

This is a place where you are empowered to do your best work, be your authentic self, and feel a true sense of belonging. Come join us and shape your career!

Your work. Your world. Shape them for the better.