Technology Leadership Associate - 2027 Leadership Development Program Ph.D.

About the role

The Corporate Technology Leadership Development Program accelerates professional development by placing high-caliber Ph.D. graduates on multiple Avient R&D Teams. This two-year program consists of two twelve-month rotational assignments and provides hands-on roles that help you gain experience in technology and leadership philosophy while offering technical, functional, and leadership skills training. Rotational assignments will vary depending on the candidate's skills and may include foundational R&D, analytical and applied product or process development across Avient’s technology platforms.

During each phase, participants will establish relationships with peers and leaders, learn fundamentals, and receive feedback from the program manager. Upon completion, individuals will be placed in a full-time role within Avient that aligns with their personal and professional goals and matches business needs.

Rotations for this role are held in at least two of several potential Avient R&D Labs located near Cleveland, OH; Chicago, IL; Denver, CO; Atlanta, GA; Greenville, NC; Philadelphia, PA; and Birmingham, AL.

Responsibilities

• Actively interface with business and technology leaders to develop custom polymer formulations and/or processes adhering to customer specifications, quality requirements, and operational goals and standards.
• Contribute to product platform development through the application of statistical experimental design, product testing, and data analysis.
• Perform literature and patent searches to guide experimentation.
• Partner with manufacturing resources to develop test methods and establish quality controls for new materials/processes.
• Support marketing and sales through development of product and application data.
• Summarize experimental strategies and data analysis in written reports and presentations for communication with peers, customers, and various levels of management.
• Collaborate in cross-functional projects across business units.
• Develop Lean Six Sigma (LSS) capabilities.
• Build on hard and soft-core competencies through training by completing coursework to develop technical, functional, and leadership skills.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Polymer Science, Material Science, or Physics, with a focus on polymer materials development, structure-property relationships, or polymer processing.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Demonstrated project management capability.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Motivated with a passion to succeed.

About Us

Avient Corporation is an innovator of materials solutions that help customers succeed while enabling a sustainable world. Our global team of 9,000 professionals brings passion, creativity, and diverse expertise to drive innovation. Whether in finance, technology, operations, HR, or materials development, you’ll find your place at Avient and help shape the future with sustainable solutions.

We believe all employees are leaders, and the six core behaviors—playing to win, acting customer-centric, driving innovation and profitable growth, collaborating seamlessly, and motivating and developing others—accelerate strategic goals, meet customer needs, and advance careers.