Automotive Market Development Engineer

Audia Elastomers; Lansing (MI); Remote; USD 95,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Job summary

Audia Elastomers seeks a growth-focused professional to identify product requirements and drive technology development for TPE compounds in the automotive sector.

The role emphasizes strong plastics/rubber materials expertise, customer relationship skills, and program management to advance business growth. Remote-friendly in Michigan or northern Ohio with significant travel expectations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, or equivalent; 5–7 years of elastomeric or plastic materials experience in automotive is preferred.
• Ability to leverage technical strength to develop new business.
• Ability to build and maintain strong, long-term customer relationships.
• Ability to collaborate with commercial and product development teams to address customer/market needs.

Responsibilities

• Manage development activities for TPE materials.
• Identify strategic markets and customers for growth.
• Determine material requirements and specifications for targeted applications.
• Collaborate with product development engineers to create material solutions.
• Present data packages and coordinate customer trials and approvals.
• Promote Audia Elastomers products and capabilities.
• Prepare call reports and monthly activity summaries.

Skills

Customer relationships

Business development

Project management

Teamwork

Communication

Time management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or science

Tools

MS Word

MS Excel

Job description

Acceptable locations for this remote role are Michigan (ideally eastern Michigan), or northern Ohio.

Summary

This position is responsible for identifying product requirements and driving technology development projects related to business growth of thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) compounds. Requirements include strong plastics and/or rubber materials and technology skills and, excellent skills in customer relationships, business development, project management, teamwork, organization, and communication. This person is the materials subject matter expert for the customer-facing team.

Duties and Responsibilities

Responsible for managing development activities associated with TPE materials.

• Identifies strategic markets and customers
• Determines material requirements and specifications for targeted applications
• Collaborates with Audia Elastomers product development engineers to develop material solutions to meet customer needs
• Interprets sample results and provides data sheets and other material physical property information to customers
• Coordinates and attends customer molding trials as necessary, providing feedback to product development regarding direction of future work
• Presents a formalized data package of developed material(s) for customer approval(s).

Interfaces with converters, Tiers, and OEMs to achieve and document Audia Elastomers product approvals.

May support non-automotive applications in the given geography where expertise allows, and/or where a converter serves multiple market segments.

Effectively promotes Audia Elastomers products and organizational capabilities.

Submits call reports and monthly activity summaries concerning customer-related activities as requested by manager.

Provides timely response to customer inquiries and complaints to ensure customer satisfaction.

Performs other duties and assignments as directed by manager.

Performs all duties safely and in compliance with documentation outlined in the Safety, Health & Environmental and defined quality management systems.

Recommended Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (or higher) in engineering, science, or equivalent, and/or 5-7 years of experience with elastomeric (preferred) or plastic (acceptable) materials in the automotive industry
• Demonstrated ability to leverage technical strength to develop new business.
• Ability to build and maintain strong, long-term customer relationships.
• Ability to work seamlessly with commercial and product development teams to develop appropriate strategies to address customer and/or market need(s).
• Excellent communication skills, self-starter, sense of urgency, personable, and well organized.
• Skilled in the use of basic computer software, including word-processing and spreadsheets.
• Self-sufficient in terms of time management and support.

Working Conditions

Environment – Commercial and/or home office as appropriate.

Travel – Frequent travel, generally over 50% and can include international travel.

Responsibility for Safety, Health & EnvironmentalIndividual is expected to perform job duties safely and in compliance with documentation outlined in the Safety, Health & Environmental system.

Responsibility for QualityIndividual is expected to perform job duties in compliance with defined management system requirements