AVP & Head – Metallurgical & Failure Analysis

Position Details

Designation: AVP & Head – Metallurgical & Failure Analysis

Function: Metallurgy / Technical Services / Quality

Level: AVP

Location: Angul, Odisha

Reporting To: Chief Technical Officer / Executive Director – Operations

Role Purpose

To lead the Metallurgical & Failure Analysis function as the organisation's centre of excellence for material science, metallurgical investigation, failure diagnosis, root-cause analysis and material selection/design across steel-making, rolling, processing and associated plant equipment.

The role will provide expert technical guidance for recurring and critical equipment/material failures, establish scientifically robust failure-prevention methodologies, support material and process optimisation, and drive improvements in equipment reliability, product quality, plant availability and cost competitiveness.

Key Responsibilities

1. Metallurgical & Failure Analysis Leadership

- Lead end-to-end investigation of metallurgical and mechanical failures involving plant equipment, components, structures, rolls, refractories and process-related materials.
- Establish systematic Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Failure Mode Analysis and Corrective/Preventive Action (CAPA) methodologies.
- Analyse failures involving creep, fatigue, fracture, corrosion, erosion, carburisation, oxidation, wear, thermal degradation and other material degradation mechanisms.
- Provide technically conclusive failure reports with root cause, contributing factors, corrective actions and preventive recommendations.
- Develop a database of historical failures and establish failure trends for predictive intervention.

2. Material Selection & Metallurgical Engineering

- Provide expert guidance on selection of materials for critical plant applications based on operating temperature, loading, corrosion environment, wear, thermal cycling and service life.
- Review material specifications, grades, heat treatment requirements and technical standards for critical equipment and components.
- Recommend alternative materials, alloys, coatings or design modifications to improve service life and reliability.
- Support development/design of improved materials for critical applications where existing materials demonstrate inadequate performance.

3. Plant Reliability & Technical Support

- Partner with Operations, Maintenance, Projects, Quality and R&D; teams to address chronic and high-value failure issues.
- Conduct investigations of critical failures and provide rapid technical intervention to minimise production loss and downtime.
- Identify opportunities for failure prevention, life extension and reliability improvement across plant assets.




- Review failure history of critical components and develop preventive inspection and replacement strategies.

4. Laboratory & Analytical Capabilities

- Lead development and utilisation of metallurgical laboratory capabilities for:
- Optical and advanced microscopy
- Chemical composition analysis
- Hardness and mechanical testing
- Metallography
- Fractography
- Failure surface examination
- Corrosion and degradation analysis
- Material identification and verification

- Establish protocols for sample collection, preservation, testing and interpretation.
- Ensure reliability and technical integrity of laboratory findings and reports.

5. Cost Optimisation & Value Creation

- Identify high-impact opportunities where metallurgical interventions can reduce:
- Component replacement cost
- Unplanned downtime
- Maintenance expenditure
- Equipment failure frequency
- Material consumption
- Product quality losses

- Drive material substitution, component redesign and life-extension initiatives with measurable financial benefits.
- Quantify savings and business impact of metallurgical interventions.

6. Technical Governance & Standards

- Develop and standardise metallurgical specifications, inspection procedures and acceptance criteria for critical materials and components.
- Review technical specifications for procurement of critical metallurgical equipment and materials.
- Ensure alignment with applicable national and international standards such as ASTM, ASME, API, EN and BIS, as relevant to the application.
- Act as the final technical authority for complex metallurgical and failure-analysis matters.

7. Projects & New Technology

- Provide metallurgical inputs for current plant projects, capacity expansions, technology upgrades and equipment selection.
- Review material suitability for high-temperature, high-load and corrosive applications.
- Collaborate with OEMs, technology suppliers, research institutions and material manufacturers on complex technical issues.
- Evaluate emerging materials, surface treatments, coatings and analytical technologies.

8. Team Leadership & Capability Building

- Build and lead a high-calibre team of metallurgists, failure-analysis engineers and laboratory professionals.
- Develop technical competency frameworks and structured capability-building programs.
- Mentor engineers in advanced failure-analysis and metallurgical investigation techniques.
- Promote a culture of fact-based diagnosis,



scientific rigour and prevention rather than reactive problem-solving.

Key Deliverables / KPIs

- Reduction in repeat and chronic equipment failures.
- Reduction in metallurgical/material-related downtime.
- Improvement in service life of critical components.
- Number and value of successful material optimisation/substitution initiatives.
- Annual cost savings generated through metallurgical interventions.
- Reduction in failure investigation turnaround time.
- Closure rate of corrective and preventive actions.
- Improvement in reliability of critical plant assets.
- Development and implementation of metallurgical standards and specifications.
- Capability development of the Metallurgy & Failure Analysis team.

Education

- B.E./B.Tech in Metallurgical & Materials Engineering / Metallurgy / Materials Science from a reputed institute.
- M.Tech/M.E. in Metallurgy, Materials Science, Materials Engineering or related discipline preferred.
- Additional certification/specialisation in failure analysis, corrosion, NDT or materials engineering will be an advantage.

Experience

- 18–25 years of relevant experience in metallurgy, materials engineering, failure analysis and/or technical services, preferably in an integrated steel plant, steel processing industry, heavy engineering or other process industry.
- Strong hands-on experience in metallurgical failure investigation and root-cause analysis.
- Demonstrated experience in solving complex material degradation and component failure problems.
- Experience in high-temperature material applications, creep, corrosion, fatigue, wear and fracture mechanisms will be preferred.
- Proven track record of translating metallurgical solutions into measurable reliability and financial benefits.
- Experience in leading a technical team and managing cross-functional technical interventions.

Technical Competencies

- Failure Analysis & Root Cause Analysis
- Metallography & Microstructural Analysis
- Material Characterisation
- Fracture Mechanics
- Creep & High-Temperature Materials
- Corrosion & Oxidation
- Fatigue & Wear Mechanisms
- Material Selection & Specification
- Heat Treatment
- Welding Metallurgy
- NDT & Inspection Methodologies
- Metallurgical Laboratory Management
- Technical Problem Solving
- Reliability & Life Extension Engineering
- Cost Optimisation through Material Engineering

Leadership Competencies

- Strategic Technical Leadership
- Analytical & Scientific Problem Solving
- Solid Decision-Making
- Cross-functional Collaboration
- Innovation & Continuous Improvement
- Business Acumen
- People Leadership & Mentoring
- Robust communication and technical presentation skills
- High ownership and ability to drive solutions from failure identification through implementation and validation

📌 Section Incharge (Angul)
🏢 Jindal Steel
📍 Angul