Senior Research And Development Engineer - Thermoplastic Packaging Technology

Industry: Thermoformed and Laminated Consumer and Food Grade Packaging

Location: Franklin Park/ Greater Chicago Area (Full time On-site)

The Chatham Group:
Advanced Materials and Technologies Recruiting Team is seeking highly qualified candidates for a Senior Research and Development Engineering role for the Thermoformed Consumer Packaging division of a client located in the Greater Chicago Area. This role will lead the development and commercialization of new thermoplastic polymeric materials, production processes, and sustainable rigid consumer packaging solutions based on consumer and customer needs.

This role requires a strong background in polymer manufacturing, market research, and new product development and commercialization.

• Serve as site SME for thermoformed rigid packaging design for products in the healthcare, food product, and consumer goods industries
• Lead research and development projects from conception through scale-up and commercialization while maintaining cost effective and sustainable benchmarks for execution
• Directly support clients with technical services, product recommendations, and site support for installation and operation of new equipment and processes
• Work with suppliers and manufacturing equipment OEMs to ensure you have the highest performing raw materials and production reliability
• Provide technical leadership to assist Capital Project Engineers, Process Scale-up Engineers, Production Engineers, etc across multiple facilities

• BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering, Polymer Engineering, Plastics Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Polymer Science, or other highly relevant field is mandatory
• 7-10+ year proven track record in consumer package R&D engineering with direct expertise in extrusion, lamination, and thermoforming technologies
• Strong polymer science working knowledge for Polyethylene, Polypropylene, PET, and High Impact Polystyrene resin systems
• Demonstrable track record of success in new product research, development, and commercialization

Compensation will be commensurate with experience and relocation will be provided for highly qualified candidates if necessary. This role is a full time on-site position and there is a small expectation of travel for customer site support.