Senior Polymer Materials Engineer – PVC Formulation & AI

James Hardie; Wilmington (OH); On-site; USD 120,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and bonus eligible

Health insurance (day-one)

Vacation and company holidays

401(k) with 6% match

Employee Stock Purchase plan (ESP)

Parental leave and wellness programs

Sustainability initiatives

Job summary

James Hardie in Wilmington, OH or Fontana, CA seeks a Senior Research Engineer/Scientist to advance PVC material technologies for high-performance building products. You will bridge lab research with manufacturing, developing formulations and characterizing materials to meet durability and process goals.

The role emphasizes polymer science, PVC processing, and structure–property–processing relationships, with opportunities to lead projects and collaborate with production teams.

Qualifications

• PhD in Polymer Science, Polymer Engineering, Materials Science, or Chemical Engineering with 0–7 years of experience, or MS with 3–10 years.
• Strong fundamental knowledge of polymer chemistry and polymer engineering.
• Deep understanding of PVC materials including stabilization chemistry, fusion behavior, degradation mechanisms, and extrusion processing.
• Experience in AI assisted material characterizations and formulation development for composite materials.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Travel –35% (mainly domestic)

Responsibilities

• Develop, optimize, and evaluate PVC formulations, including base resins, stabilizers, lubricants, impact modifiers, process aids, fillers, and pigments.
• Apply fundamental polymer science and engineering principles to guide formulation design.
• Demonstrate understanding of PVC-specific behavior: fusion/gelation, thermal stability, rheology, morphology.
• Establish structure–property–processing relationships for durability and manufacturability.
• Conduct laboratory-scale compounding, extrusion, and molding for new products and sustainability initiatives.
• Drive AI assisted material characterizations and formulation development.
• Support PVC extrusion and compounding processes, troubleshooting quality and throughput.
• Plan and execute technical projects with defined scope and milestones; communicate results.

Skills

Polymer chemistry

Polymer engineering

PVC materials

AI assisted characterization

Communication skills

Education

PhD in Polymer Science/Engineering or Materials Science

MS in related field with 3–10 years experience

Tools

DSC

TGA

DMA

Rheometry

Job description

James Hardie in Wilmington, OH or Fontana, CA seeks a Senior Research Engineer/Scientist to advance PVC material technologies for high-performance building products. You will bridge lab research with manufacturing, developing formulations and characterizing materials to meet durability and process goals.

The role emphasizes polymer science, PVC processing, and structure–property–processing relationships, with opportunities to lead projects and collaborate with production teams.