Senior Plastics Engineer, Material & Testing

Iconma LLC; Newark (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a skilled polymer engineer to join their vehicle engineering team. This role involves significant contributions to the development of automotive plastics, focusing on material selection, design optimization, and ensuring part functionality and efficiency. You will collaborate with design engineers and suppliers, leveraging your expertise to troubleshoot and enhance processes. If you have a passion for automotive materials and a strong background in polymer engineering, this opportunity offers a chance to make a real impact in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in selecting and developing plastics for automotive applications.
• B.Sc. in polymer engineering or related field is required.

Responsibilities

• Support vehicle engineering team with plastics expertise in development.
• Consult with design engineers on material selection and optimization.

Skills

Plastics Expertise

Polymer Selection

Material Optimization

Automotive Development

Communication Skills

Education

B.Sc. in Polymer Engineering

M.Sc. in Polymer Engineering

Tools

Injection Molding

Compression Molding

Thermal Forming

Vacuum Forming

Job description

Location: Newark, CA

Duration: 9-10 Months

Description:

The Role:

Be a significant contributor to a world-class vehicle engineering team by supporting with plastics expertise and owning polymer-related aspects of development.

Consultation with design engineers and suppliers throughout the product development process, focusing on material selection, design optimization, part function, efficiency, and cost.

Extraction of material requirements from part specifications and material selection after holistic evaluation of plastic grades.

Utilization of understanding of polymers (e.g. structure property relation) to troubleshoot parts and processes.

Support of internal non-engineering teams and representation of Client material team in communication with suppliers (incl. on-site visits).

Qualifications:

B.Sc. in polymer engineering, material science or related field.

5+ years’ experience, selecting and developing plastics and composite materials.

Must have worked in an automotive development environment, ideally through a complete product development process.

Good knowledge of automotive injection molded materials.

Proven experience in selection of plastic grades for different applications across automotive commodities (e.g. interiors, exteriors, powertrain).

Exemplary verbal and written communication skills.

Advantageous:

M.Sc. in polymer engineering preferred.

Experience with automotive materials for compression molding, and overmolding/back-injection designs utilizing luxury materials such as synthetic leather, suede, textiles, wood, and metal.

Hands-on experience with injection molding process optimization and familiarity with other plastic manufacturing processes and their part designs (e.g. blow molding, thermal forming, vacuum forming, slush molding, resin infusion).

Familiarity with secondary processes (e.g. joining, painting, plating, press/vacuum lamination).

Seniority level

• Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Contract

Job function

• Engineering and Information Technology

Industries

• Software Development