Principal Materials Engineer - Polymers (Advanced Engineering)

Key Responsibilities

• Define material performance intent tied to end-use conditions, durability, and manufacturability requirements
• Develop, qualify, and implement polymer systems (plastics, elastomers, coatings, adhesives, composites) from concept through production-ready specifications, ensuring alignment between design intent, tooling strategy, processing conditions, manufacturability, and field performance
• Define and execute platform-level material strategies, enabling consistent performance and manufacturability across product architectures
• Translate experimental and field data into material and process decisions by linking processing–structure–property relationships to end-use performance and failure modes, and by driving upfront analysis prior to tooling and trials
• Scout and evaluate emerging polymer, elastomeric, and flexible material technologies — including startup platforms, university-derived materials, and supplier development pipelines — to expand the organization’s materials and processing capability roadmap
• Design novel test methodologies where standard approaches fail to fully characterize material behavior; treat data exploration as a primary tool for surfacing material and process insights that drive early-stage decisions
• Lead direct technical engagement with global material suppliers and development partners to co-develop and mature advanced material and process solutions
• Lead root-cause investigations for complex material failures, applying appropriate analytical techniques to identify failure mechanisms and translate findings into design, material, or process changes; maintain familiarity with relevant test methods and demonstrate willingness to work hands-on in the lab as needed
• Drive corrective actions that prevent recurrence through changes in material selection, design, or processing conditions
• Influence design, manufacturing, and sourcing decisions to ensure alignment between material selection, processing, and product performance
• Apply strong working knowledge of DFM and tooling to polymer material selection—understanding how material, processing, and design impact tooling and vice versa, and using that understanding to influence manufacturability and development decisions
• Document material intent, assumptions, tradeoffs, and risks in clear specifications and recommendations
• Mentor engineers and elevate technical rigor in materials evaluation and decision-making

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science, Polymer Engineering, or related field; advanced degree preferred
• 10+ years of experience in polymer materials engineering across R&D, development, or manufacturing
• Deep expertise in plastics, elastomers, thermosets, adhesives, coatings, and composite systems
• Proven ability to solve complex technical problems and lead root cause analysis
• Experience working directly with material suppliers and development partners
• Strong ability to translate data into decisions and communicate clearly across functions
• Strong working knowledge of polymer processing (e.g., injection molding, overmolding) and the interaction between material selection, tooling, and manufacturing outcomes
• Familiarity with polymer characterization methods and willingness to be hands-on in the lab are expected; experience independently operating polymer analysis equipment to support development and failure investigations is preferred