Assoc. Technician

The Associate Technician position is entry level. The Associate Technician is expected to assist other technicians and engineers with ‘hands‑on’ fabrication and testing of hardware in the laboratory. The Associate Technician will be assigned a mentor who will teach and train them to use the equipment in the laboratory with the objective of becoming able to work independently.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• General Fabrication Skills:
• Machining: Demonstrates the ability to machine or modify simple components made from aluminum, copper or steel using a milling machine or lathe. This involves drilling holes, tapping holes, fly cutting, grinding and installing miscellaneous hardware such as heli‑coils, threaded inserts, etc.
• Soldering: Demonstrates the ability to solder components together using a torch, hot plate or oven. Understands the processes (flux and solder) needed to bond aluminum and copper components neatly and effectively.
• Brazing: Able to braze components together using a torch or a furnace. Demonstrates the ability to select which process to use when required.
• Welding: Has a full time welder for handling most welding requirements. Nonetheless, the technician shall develop an understanding of the welding process and weld design. Occasionally, welding of components may need to be done by the Associate Technician.
• Leak Checking: Must be able to effectively leak check hardware using a helium mass spectrometer in the various modes: vacuum, sniffing and bagged.
• Electrical Skills: Able to perform minor electrical work to setup tests. Such work would include wiring heaters for thermal tests or solder fixtures, setting up variacs, watt‑meters or measuring current and resistance to calculate power.
• Hardware Assembly: Demonstrates the ability to fabricate hardware and prototypes per instructions or engineering drawings. The objective is hardware that meets the drawings, performs to the requirements and is attractive and ‘craftsman’‑like in appearance.
• Interpret Drawings: The Associate Technician shall understand how to read and interpret drawings per geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) standards (ANSI/ASME Y14.5M‑1994). Careful attention to tolerances and special finishes is critical.
• Quality: Actively learns and follows ISO 9001 and AS9100 quality standards and demonstrates the ability to follow them and adequately document work. This includes (but not limited to) getting First Article Inspection (FAI) certifications, preparing and filling out travelers, following fabrication procedures, getting Certificates of Conformance (C of C) and filing information in the appropriate project folder.
• On Time Delivery: Work is expected to be completed and delivered to the customer in accordance to the date committed. Customers can be internal as well as external.
• Cleanliness: Work area and surrounding laboratory shall be clean and organized and maintained as such each day. Tools shall be returned to their original locations and locked. Excess materials and assembly fixtures shall be disposed of or put into storage at the end of the project to minimize clutter.
• Laboratory Testing: Sets up and conducts tests of complete units and components under operational conditions to investigate performance against customer specifications using developed plans and experimental test programs and test procedures. Analyzes test data and reports to determine if design meets functional and performance specification. Accurately records measured test results into a laboratory notebook or electronic database. Provide recommendations for changes to the test method based on their understanding of the measured test results.

Qualifications

• Education and/or Experience: 2-year technical degree from an accredited trade school, college or university with less than 5 years’ work experience.
• Language Skills: Has the ability to read, analyze, and interpret general technical procedures and instructions. Has the ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedures. Has the ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and employees.
• Mathematical Skills: Has the ability to apply basic mathematical concepts such as add, subtract, multiply and divide. Has the ability to apply these mathematical operations to such tasks as calculating, predicting heat pipe performance, determination of test results, reliability and validity, analysis of variances, correlation techniques, sampling theory, and factor analysis.
• Reasoning Ability: Has the ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Has the ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
• Computer Skills: Has working knowledge for using Microsoft’s Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is required to stand, walk, sit, and use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, and ability to adjust focus. In addition, the position requires occasional travel on airplanes and automobiles to visit vendors, carry out tests at a facility, repair equipment, and deliver hardware.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently exposed to moving mechanical parts. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

EEO Statement

Boyd Corp is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.