Lead Materials Engineer — Polymer & Extrusion

Optical Cable Corporation; Roanoke (VA); On-site; USD 59,000 - 99,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) plan

Education assistance

Life insurance

Job summary

Optical Cable Corporation in Roanoke, VA is seeking a Materials Engineer to lead plastic materials selection and extrusion process development. The role drives material qualification and defines efficient extrusion processes across PVC, PVDF, polyethylene, polyurethane and related materials.

The engineer will collaborate with Product, Manufacturing and Quality teams, manage vendor relationships, and guide process improvements while upholding OCC’s standards and safety.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in plastics/polymer/materials engineering from an accredited institution.
• 3+ years in polymer processing in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong knowledge of extrusion and polymer testing.

Responsibilities

• Lead material development for extrusion processes and material qualification.
• Provide material, additive and colorant knowledge to Product Engineers.
• Research polymer processes and manage vendor relationships with suppliers.
• Analyze and troubleshoot polymer performance issues based on product design and processing.
• Design, develop and review product testing related to performance specifications.
• Coordinate with manufacturing to ensure efficient production of products.

Skills

Material science

Extrusion knowledge

Leadership

Communication

Problem solving

Project management

Education

B.S. Plastics Engineering

B.S. Polymer Science

B.S. Materials Engineering

B.S. Chemical Engineering

Tools

MS Excel

ERP systems

Word

Access

Job description

Optical Cable Corporation in Roanoke, VA is seeking a Materials Engineer to lead plastic materials selection and extrusion process development. The role drives material qualification and defines efficient extrusion processes across PVC, PVDF, polyethylene, polyurethane and related materials.

The engineer will collaborate with Product, Manufacturing and Quality teams, manage vendor relationships, and guide process improvements while upholding OCC’s standards and safety.