Principal Materials Engineer - Polymers; Advanced Engineering

Position: Principal Materials Engineer - Polymers (Advanced Engineering)
*
* Job Description:

*
* ** Principal Materials Engineer - Polymers (Advanced Engineering)*
* Bring  
** deep technical authority and first-principles rigor
** to define, mature, and scale  
** polymer materials and processing approaches
** across Milwaukee Tool's  
** Hand Tools business unit**  (Hand Tools, Storage, PPE).

As a Principal Materials Engineer, you serve as the  
** subject matter expert in polymer systems** , driving material selection, development, validation,  
** processing, and manufacturability
** decisions for  
** high-impact applications** . You define material performance intent, develop validation strategies, and translate results into confident material decisions from  
** early exploration through commercialization** .

You operate with  
** high autonomy
** across Advanced Engineering (R&D) and platform development, independently progressing multiple material efforts in parallel. You also lead direct technical engagement with material suppliers and development partners to solve  
** complex material challenges** .

This role emphasizes  
** early-stage material exploration and innovation** , requiring the ability to identify emerging material opportunities and generate insights before formal validation pathways exist.

** Key Responsibilities*
* + Define material performance intent tied to end-use conditions, durability, and manufacturability requirements

+ Develop, qualify, and implement polymer systems (plastics, elastomers, coatings, adhesives, composites) from concept through production-ready specifications, ensuring alignment between
** design intent, tooling strategy, processing conditions, manufacturability, and field performance*
* + Define and execute platform-level material strategies, enabling consistent performance and manufacturability across product architectures

+ Translate experimental and field data into
** material and process decisions
** by linking processing-structure-property relationships to end-use performance and failure modes, and by driving upfront analysis prior to tooling and trials

+ Scout and evaluate emerging
** polymer, elastomeric, and flexible material technologies** - including startup platforms, university-derived materials, and supplier development pipelines - to expand the organization's
** materials and processing capability roadmap*
* + Design
** novel test methodologies
** where standard approaches fail tofully characterize material behavior; treat data exploration as a primary tool for surfacing
** material and process insights
** that drive early-stage decisions

+ Apply materialsexpertiseacross
** rigid and flexible polymer systems** , including elastomeric components,overmolded interfaces, and protective padding or soft goods applications relevant to PPE and hand tool ergonomics

+ Lead direct technical engagement with global material suppliers and development partners to co-develop and mature advanced
** material and process solutions*
* + Lead root-cause investigations for complex material failures, applying appropriate analytical techniques toidentifyfailure mechanisms and translate findings into
** design, material, or process changes** ;maintain familiarity with relevant test methods anddemonstratewillingness to work
** hands-on in the lab
** as needed

+ Drive corrective actions that prevent recurrence through changes in material selection, design, or processing conditions

+ Provide targeted support to high-impact production or field issues (~10%), focused on complex or ambiguous failures

+ Influence design, manufacturing, and sourcing decisions to ensure alignment between material selection, processing, and product performance

+ Apply
** strong working knowledge
** of DFM and tooling to polymer material selection-understanding how material, processing, and design impact tooling and vice versa, and using that understanding to influence manufacturability and development decisions

+ Develop sufficient fluency in injection molding simulation workflows (e.g., Moldflow, FEA, material models) to define meaningful inputs, interpret outputs, and drive targeted requests in partnership with dedicated simulation resources;
** direct simulation execution capability is preferred but not*
* ** required*
* + Document material intent, assumptions, tradeoffs, and risks in clear specifications and recommendations

+ Mentor engineers and elevate technical rigor in materials evaluation and decision-making

+ Operate across a wide range of polymer systems and applications, applying depth selectively where technical risk is highest

** Typical Advanced Engineering Flow*
* +  
** Discovery:
** Identify unmet performance needs; evaluate materials technologies and external capabilities

+  
** Definition:
** Translate application requirements into material performance intent,
** processing strategy, manufacturability considerations,
** and validation approach

+  
** Exploration:
** Develop and test material systems; iterate with suppliers and partners;
** explore process windows and tooling interactions** ; quantify…