Entry- Level Materials Engineer (Polymers)

Kick‑start your plastics career by working on real automotive interior programs, supporting material selection, processing trials, launch support, and continuous improvement. This role is hands‑on: you’ll run trials, build DOE plans, analyze results, and partner with plants and product engineering to solve quality issues and reduce cost. It’s a strong match for grads with a plastics‑focused education grounded in processing, testing, and product development. 

What you’ll do (you’ll use what you learned in plastics school)

• Support development and implementation of polymer materials (resins, additives, colorants, coatings) for IAC components.
• Plan and execute trials/DOEs (processing windows, shrink/warp, appearance, performance) and summarize results in clear technical reports.
• Partner with manufacturing plants to analyze process + quality data, identify root causes, and recommend corrective actions.
• Provide hands‑on support for launches, warranty/quality topics, and cost‑saving initiatives (VAVE/Kaizen).
• Work with suppliers to gather material data and help evaluate new materials/technologies.
• Interface with customers (OEM materials/engineering teams) by presenting material concepts and performance data.
• Support sustainability initiatives, including material opportunities and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) activities.

What you’ll learn

• How automotive programs move from concept → launch (and how materials decisions affect quality, cost, and timing).
• How to write strong test plans/test requests, coordinate lab work, and communicate results to engineering and manufacturing.
• How to connect processing conditions to part performance (shrinkage, appearance, mechanical properties) and drive fixes quickly.

Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree (or graduating soon) in Engineering/Science with a plastics focus preferred (Materials, Chemical, Chemistry, Plastics/Polymer/Manufacturing disciplines or equivalent experience).
• Comfort with hands‑on technical work: trials, data collection, analysis, and reporting.
• Willingness to travel up to 25% (plants, suppliers, customer support).