Material Scientist Job Widnes area,England UK,Manufacturing / Production

Develop a deep understanding of incoming raw materials, including chemical composition, impurities, physical properties, and supplier-specific variations
Build collaborative relationships with key raw material suppliers
Act as the technical interface between the company and suppliers on material chemistry, consistency, change management, and innovation
Support supplier audits, technical reviews, and joint improvement initiatives
Establish and maintain material specifications, acceptance criteria, and incoming quality controls
Optimise formulations and recipes while monitoring plant batch production
Lead investigations into raw material changes and their impact on process behaviour and final product performance
Provide day-to-day technical support to manufacturing operations for stable, repeatable polycrystalline wool production
Analyse and troubleshoot process variability across raw materials, recipes, batching, fibre formation, and downstream processing
Implement improvements to operational efficiency, yield, waste reduction, and process capability
Collaborate with production, engineering, and quality teams to resolve material and process issues
Document material and process knowledge to support standardisation and best practices
Develop technical guidelines, control plans, and troubleshooting tools
Support training and capability development within manufacturing and technical teams
Provide onsite and remote technical support to the Buffalo manufacturing facility
Ensure alignment of material control strategies, specifications, and best practices between UK and US operations
Support cross-site consistency, benchmarking, and knowledge transfer

Requirements

Degree (BSc minimum, MSc or PhD preferred) in Materials Science, Ceramic Engineering, or a related discipline
Strong grounding in inorganic materials, ceramics, fibres, or high-temperature materials
Experience working in a manufacturing or industrial materials environment
Proven hands-on experience supporting production, troubleshooting processes, and improving operational stability
Experience working with chemical raw materials, formulations, and process recipes
Prior exposure to supplier technical management or external technical collaboration is highly desirable
Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities with a practical, manufacturing-focused mindset
Ability to link material chemistry and properties to process behaviour and product performance
Excellent communication skills, capable of working effectively with operators, engineers, suppliers, and management
Comfortable working on the factory floor as well as in laboratory and office environments
Organised, methodical, and data driven approach to process control and improvement
Ability to travel regularly to Buffalo, USA
Ability to provide onsite and remote technical support across UK and US operations

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in materials science and engineering, with a focus on inorganic materials and process optimization. Capable of providing technical support and improving operational efficiency in manufacturing environments.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Materials Science Degree
Inorganic Materials Expertise
Process Troubleshooting
Supplier Technical Management
Analytical Problem-Solving

ATS Optimization Keywords

Hard Skills

Chemical Composition Analysis
Formulation Optimization
Quality Control
Batch Production Monitoring
Technical Documentation
Process Capability Improvement
Material Specifications Development
Technical Support
Process Variability Analysis
Change Management

Soft Skills

Excellent Communication
Organised Approach
Collaborative Relationship Building
Methodical Problem-Solving
Data-Driven Decision Making

Industry Keywords

Ceramic Engineering
High-Temperature Materials
Manufacturing Environment
Polycrystalline Wool Production
Supplier Audits
Technical Reviews
Operational Efficiency
Knowledge Transfer
Cross-Site Consistency
Process Control