Polymer Processing Lead — Innovation & Scale-Up

Evonik; Allentown (Lehigh County); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Evonik is seeking a senior technical leader to manage polymer processing initiatives in a dynamic environment. You will lead a team of technicians, directing injection molding, extrusion, and compounding trials, while ensuring safety, quality, and regulatory compliance.

The role emphasizes DO E driven problem solving, process optimization, and cross-functional collaboration with R&D, applications, and commercial teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s in Polymer/Plastics Eng, Chemical Eng, or Materials Science.
• 5+ years in polymer processing; leadership in technical teams.
• Experience with DOE, statistics, and scale-up from lab to production.
• Experience with Lean/Six Sigma or CI frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and train a team of technicians, fostering safety, accountability, innovation, and continuous learning.
• Allocate resources across polymer processing activities; travel to customer locations as needed.
• Oversee processing trials (injection molding, extrusion, compounding); maintain records of activities and data.
• Drive process development and optimization for new product introduction, scale-up, and commercialization; ensure IP doc.
• Act as escalation point for complex processing challenges; lead root-cause investigations and corrective actions.
• Develop and execute operational excellence strategies to improve equipment utilization and productivity.
• Champion safety, quality, and regulatory compliance across processes and procedures.
• Manage laboratory assets, capital investments, and technology upgrades for reliable capabilities.
• Set performance metrics and communicate progress to leadership.

Skills

Leadership experience

DOE & statistics

Process development

Data-driven decision making

Stakeholder management

Continuous improvement

Safety leadership

Education

Polymer/Plastics Engineering degree

Chemical Engineering degree

Materials Science degree

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

Evonik is seeking a senior technical leader to manage polymer processing initiatives in a dynamic environment. You will lead a team of technicians, directing injection molding, extrusion, and compounding trials, while ensuring safety, quality, and regulatory compliance.

The role emphasizes DO E driven problem solving, process optimization, and cross-functional collaboration with R&D, applications, and commercial teams.