Materials Engineer - Polymers

A. O. Smith Corp.; Milwaukee (WI); On-site; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and dental insurance

Life insurance

Retirement security savings plan

Tuition assistance

Job summary

A. O. Smith Corp. in Milwaukee, WI is seeking a Materials Engineer specializing in polymers. The role involves being the Subject Matter Expert for polymeric materials and providing technical guidance across various departments.

The ideal candidate will possess a Master’s or PhD in a relevant field and have at least 7 years of experience. Responsibilities include conducting failure analyses, supporting manufacturing plants, and researching new materials.

We offer a competitive compensation package and comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• 7 years of relevant experience; candidates with less may be considered.
• Expert in polymer engineering and failure analysis.
• Experience with adjacent materials like metals, enamels, and adhesives beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Serve as Subject Matter Expert for polymeric materials.
• Lead failure analysis and root cause investigations.
• Provide technical support on polymer-related product complaints.

Skills

Polymer Engineering

Failure Analysis

Technical Problem Solving

Communication Skills

Time Management

Education

Master’s or PhD in Polymer Engineering, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field

Tools

Mechanical Testing

Thermal Analysis (DSC, TGA, DMA)

Spectroscopy (FTIR)

Microscopy (SEM/EDS)

Job description

Company / Location Information

A.O. Smith is a global leader applying innovative technologies and energy-efficient solutions to products manufactured and marketed worldwide. The company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of residential and commercial water heating equipment and boilers, as well as a manufacturer of water treatment products for residential and light commercial applications. A. O. Smith is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with approximately 12,000 employees at operations in the United States, Canada, China, India, Mexico, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

Primary Function

The 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.

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering

We Offer

Competitive 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.

ADA Statement & EEO Statement

In developing this job description care was taken to include all competencies needed to successfully perform in this position. However, for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) purposes, the essential functions of the job may or may not have been described for purposes of ADA reasonable accommodation. All reasonable accommodation requests will be reviewed and evaluated on a case‑by‑case basis.

We consider all applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, gender identity and expression, marital or military status. We also provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and applicable state and local law.