Material Bank

Sr. Material Research

Material Bank$95K — $115K *
Manufacturing & Automotive
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Deep expertise in architectural materials, building products, interior products, product specification, or materials research.
  • Ability to research conflicting information and draw defensible conclusions.
  • Understanding of how architects and designers evaluate and specify materials.
  • Structural thinking regarding categories and product data impact on discovery.
  • Comfort with catalog systems and tools in research workflows.
  • Clear writing that justifies decisions and discusses uncertainties.
  • Independent judgment on complex topics with awareness of when to escalate issues.

Responsibilities

  • Own complex material and product questions requiring expert judgment.
  • Review brand and product updates, resolve ambiguity, and enhance records.
  • Lead onboarding of new categories, defining attributes and hierarchy.
  • Research emerging materials and translate findings into actionable recommendations.
  • Investigate product data contribution to search and discovery issues.
  • Propose catalog standard changes to address completeness and clarity.
  • Document reasoning for decisions to ensure reusability of knowledge.
  • Coach peers and strengthen team dynamics without direct management.

Benefits

  • Flexible PTO, Sick Days, and Paid National Holidays.
  • Health benefits including medical, dental, vision, and disability plans.
  • 401(k) eligibility after first 90 days of employment.
  • Participation in community events and sponsorships.
  • Opportunities for professional growth and initiative.
  • Flexible hybrid work schedules accommodating team needs.
Full Job Description
Material Bank is seeking a Sr. Material Researcher to bring deep material expertise and sound judgment to how products are represented across the marketplace's catalog. The role combines hands-on catalog work with research, category development, and standards improvement.

This is a rare chance to shape how an entire category is structured and specified, not just clean up individual records. Decisions made here reach thousands of architects and designers using Material Bank's marketplace every day.

Success looks like a catalog that gets more accurate and more usable over time - through standards, taxonomy, and structural improvements that keep the same issues from recurring.

Position will be a hybrid role located out of Boca Raton, FL. Open to candidates in the Boston, MA area as well.

What you'll do
  • Own complex material and product questions that require expert judgment, and the high-value enrichment where source data and tooling fall short.
  • Review complex brand and product updates, resolve the ambiguity, and add intelligence that makes the record more useful.
  • Lead or support new category onboarding, including the attributes, controlled vocabularies, and hierarchy placement needed to represent the category well.
  • Research emerging materials, standards, and designer expectations in your assigned domains, then translate findings into practical recommendations on attributes, CVLs, taxonomy, and terminology.
  • Investigate search and discovery problems where product data may be contributing.
  • Propose changes to catalog standards when the current model turns out to be incomplete or misleading, and spot the recurring patterns that should become broader catalog improvements.
  • Document your reasoning and evidence on non-obvious decisions so the knowledge is reusable.
  • Coach peers, review complex work, and strengthen the team without managing anyone - escalating cross-category decisions rather than creating isolated local conventions.

What you'll bring
  • Deep expertise in architectural materials, building products, interior products, product specification, or materials research.
  • The ability to research incomplete or conflicting information and reach a defensible conclusion without overstating what the evidence supports.
  • Real understanding of how designers and architects evaluate, compare, and specify materials.
  • Structural thinking about categories, attributes, controlled values, and how product data supports discovery.
  • Comfort working directly in catalog systems and using tooling as part of the research workflow.
  • Writing that explains why a decision is right, what supports it, and where uncertainty remains.
  • The judgment to work independently on complex topics while recognizing when an issue reaches past your assigned category.

Especially valuable:
  • Background in architecture, interior design, material libraries, specification, or a manufacturer's product or technical team.
  • Experience with PIM, product catalogs, faceted search, or structured product content.
  • Depth in at least one material domain paired with the ability to quickly learn unfamiliar ones.
  • Mentoring peers or leading defined research workstreams without formal people management.


What you'll get from us:
  • Our people: We are a growth-driven team that values efficiency, builds smart automation, operates in small empowered teams, and moves quickly from idea to execution.
  • Relaxation and Celebrations: Flexible PTO, Sick Days, Paid National Holidays, and even more (ask us about this when we connect).
  • Health Benefits: We contribute to your medical, dental, vision and short-term/long-term disability plans and have a strong employee assistance program.
  • Plan for your Retirement: 401(k) eligible after your first 90 day's employed!
  • Giving Back: We sponsor multiple events throughout the year to help out our communities.
  • Growth: We'll help you take your career to the next level. We want you to be creative and take initiative which will allow you to grow and create within the company. Most importantly, be the best at what matters!
  • Flexible Work Schedules: With business units and employees across the globe, Material Technologies has embraced a hybrid working model allowing department leaders to decide on the best approach for their respective teams, whether that be remote, in person, or a little of both.

About Material Bank

Material Bank is a technology and logistics company that provides a platform for architects and designers to order material samples from hundreds of manufacturers. The company was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in New York City. Material Bank's platform allows users to search for and order samples of materials such as carpet, tile, and fabric, and have them delivered to their office or job site in a single box. The company's goal is to streamline the material selection process and reduce waste in the design industry.
Learn more about Material Bank
Size
100 employees
Industry
Net Income
-$20 million
Founded
2018
Revenue
$100 million

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