Primary FunctionThe Materials Engineer - Polymers will be a part of our Lloyd R. Smith Corporate Technology Center (CTC) Team in Milwaukee, WI. The CTC contains a multidisciplinary team of engineers and technicians with the purpose of researching, developing, and supporting technologies on a 3-5 year time horizon. This role will serve as the organization's Subject Matter Expert for plastics, rubbers, elastomers, and other polymeric materials used in water heating and water treatment equipment. The engineer will support global business units, manufacturing plants, quality teams, sourcing, suppliers, and product engineering by providing technical guidance on material selection, qualification, failure analysis, root cause investigation, product performance issues, and application suitability. The role will also develop analytical approaches and test methods to assess material performance and will conduct forward-looking research into new materials, additives, compounds, processing methods, and manufacturing technologies.
Responsibilities- Serve as the organization's Subject Matter Expert for polymeric materials, including plastics and rubbers, and educate the organization on material behavior, degradation mechanisms, chemical compatibility, processing effects, supplier variation, emerging material technologies, and best practices for material selection and use.
- Lead materials-related failure analysis and root cause investigations for plastics, rubbers, elastomers, seals, gaskets, molded components, and other polymeric materials, including development of structured investigation plans, use of appropriate characterization methods, interpretation of evidence, documentation of findings, and recommendations for corrective actions.
- Provide technical support to business units, manufacturing plants, quality teams, sourcing, suppliers, and product engineering teams on polymer-related product complaints, performance issues, material substitutions, and application suitability questions; develop analytical approaches and test methods needed to assess material performance and application suitability.
- Support business unit needs by making recommendations for selecting, evaluating, and qualifying polymeric materials, including thermoplastics, thermosets, rubbers, elastomers, and composite materials, for water-contact, high-temperature, pressure-bearing, sealing, and chemically exposed applications.
- Conduct forward-looking research into new polymeric materials, additives, compounds, processing methods, manufacturing technologies, and supplier capabilities that could improve product performance, reliability, cost, sustainability, manufacturability, or competitive differentiation.
- Work with internal and external testing labs to verify material and product performance, develop new test methods as needed, and translate test data into well-communicated, practical recommendations for design, quality, manufacturing, and supplier decisions.
Qualifications- Master's or PhD in Polymer Engineering, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field.
- 7 years of relevant experience. Candidates with less experience may be considered based on depth of expertise.
- Demonstrated expertise in polymer engineering, materials failure analysis, root cause investigation, and technical problem solving; experience with adjacent materials such as metals, enamels, foams, adhesives, or coatings is beneficial.
- Significant experience with plastics, rubbers, elastomers, and polymer characterization methods, including mechanical testing, thermal analysis such as DSC, TGA, and DMA, rheology and melt flow evaluation, spectroscopy such as FTIR, microscopy including SEM/EDS, hardness testing, compression set, chemical compatibility and swelling evaluation, aging studies, and other methods used to assess polymer composition, degradation, processing effects, and application performance.
- Experience evaluating polymer degradation, environmental stress cracking, chemical attack, swelling, embrittlement, creep, fatigue, wear, aging, compression set, sealing performance, and other application-specific failure modes.
- Ability to document and communicate technical findings clearly to engineering, quality, manufacturing, sourcing, supplier, and leadership audiences through concise reports, presentations, and recommendations.
- Great communication and organizational skills, including the ability to facilitate and foster good cross-functional, multi-disciplinary teamwork.
- Strong time management and prioritization skills to balance multiple projects within a defined schedule and budget.
- Domestic and International travel required.
EducationBachelor's Degree in Engineering
We OfferCompetitive compensation package and comprehensive benefits plans which include medical and dental insurance, company-sponsored life insurance, retirement security savings plan, short- and long-term disability programs and tuition assistance.
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