Materials R&D Supervising Project Manager

About TRI Austin

TRI Austin, Inc. is a small business with a 50-year history as a first‑class materials science and applied research and development firm. We are a dynamic, multi‑disciplinary team engaged in cutting‑edge research spanning organic synthesis, formulations chemistry, polymer science, and a wide array of innovative programs. We pride ourselves on our intellectually stimulating environment, collaborative culture, and commitment to excellence.

We are seeking a senior, hands‑on materials scientist who will serve as both a project manager and laboratory supervisor. This role blends technical execution with day‑to‑day project leadership: you will manage scope, schedule, and budget across multiple R&D projects; supervise and mentor a team of scientists, engineers, and technicians; produce and deliver high‑quality technical reports and presentations to internal and external sponsors (including DoD);

and ensure laboratory safety and quality practices. The ideal candidate has a strong background in polymers/materials, excels at scientific documentation and briefings, and is comfortable coordinating people and resources in a fast‑paced lab environment.

• People leadership and lab supervision
• Supervise and mentor a multidisciplinary team of 4–8 scientists/engineers/technicians; set goals, provide feedback, and support professional growth.
• Plan staffing and priorities across projects to balance workloads and meet milestones.
• Establish and enforce SOPs, quality practices, and EHS standards; promote 5S and a culture of safety and continuous improvement.
• Project planning and execution
• Lead end‑to‑end management of multiple concurrent R&D projects, including scope definition, scheduling, resource allocation, risk tracking, and milestone burn‑downs.
• Maintain integrated project schedules, track progress against deliverables, and drive on‑time, on‑budget execution.
• Coordinate cross‑functional contributors, subcontractors, and vendors; oversee procurements and equipment utilization.
• Technical execution (materials/polymers)
• Apply technical knowledge in chemistry, polymer science, or materials science to provide informed guidance on R&D activities, troubleshoot project challenges, and ensure scientific quality and integrity.
• Guide formulation, processing, and testing of polymers, adhesives, coatings, composites, and elastomers from concept through bench‑scale validation and pilot‑scale demonstration.
• Oversee characterization and data interpretation (e.g., DSC, TGA, DMA, rheology, FTIR, mechanical testing).
• Apply basic DoE/statistical approaches and root‑cause analysis to accelerate learning and de‑risk scale‑up.
• Technical reporting, documentation, and presentations
• Own preparation of monthly/quarterly status reports and final technical reports; ensure accuracy, clarity, and rigor in data, figures, and analyses.
• Build sponsor‑ready slide decks and deliver technical briefings to customers (e.g., DoD).
• Enforce configuration control, data traceability, and compliance with client templates and internal document standards.
• Maintain laboratory notebooks, experimental records, and data packages to support reproducibility and audits.
• Stakeholder communication and contract support
• Serve as a point of contact for project communications with sponsors and internal leadership.
• Support proposal and contract activities (e.g., contributing sections, drafting schedules, budgets, and deliverables), with emphasis on compliant, high‑quality documentation.
• Ensure adherence to government and customer reporting requirements and internal QA processes.

• Education:
  
  MS or PhD in Materials Science, Polymer Science, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, or a closely related field.
• Experience:
  
  5+ years of relevant post‑degree R&D experience in materials‑focused environments; or 3+ years with a PhD.
• 2+ years managing R&D scope/schedule/budget for multi‑disciplinary teams.
• 1+ year of direct supervision or team leadership in a laboratory setting.
• Technical and communication skills:
  Hands‑on laboratory experience in polymer/materials processing and characterization.
• Familiarity with chemical formulation, polymer…