Materials Engineer

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development, testing, and implementation of new material compounds to support productivity, quality, and business objectives.
• Develop standard work and scalable processes for evaluating and implementing compounding changes across production platforms.
• Use design of experiments and other analytical methods to assess formulation changes and their impact on manufacturing performance.
• Partner with operations, R&D, and leadership to solve production issues, improve processes, and support new product development.
• Cook up laboratory work, pilot trials, and production trials to improve product performance, reduce scrap, and optimize cost efficiency.
• Analyze data using statistical tools and communicate findings clearly to technical and operational stakeholders.
• Collaborate with suppliers to stay current on new raw materials, equipment, and industry developments.
• Support formulation cost analysis, capital planning, and process improvement initiatives related to existing and new products.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an ABET-accredited university in Mechanical, Chemical, Materials, or Plastics Engineering.
• 3 to 5 years of hands-on plastics compounding experience, ideally in rigid or foamed PVC extrusion or a similar chemical or physical manufacturing environment.
• Preferred Qualifications: Experience with PVC extrusion processes and polymer formulation development; Knowledge of Six Sigma methodologies and tools such as DOE, DMAIC, FMEA, Fishbone, and 5-Why analysis; Green Belt or Black Belt certification.

Skills For Success

• Strong collaborative problem-solving skills in a manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated ability to make data-driven decisions to support compounding and extrusion plant operations.
• Strong organization, project management, and task prioritization skills.
• Able to define problems, execute trials, analyze data, draw sound conclusions, and build consensus across technical and operational teams.
• Knowledge of polymer chemistry, manufacturing processes, testing, and material analysis.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills across all levels of the organization.
• Able to build collaborative working relationships with diverse teams and stakeholders.