Manufacturing Process Engineer – Polymer Science
About The Position
Thermo Fisher Scientific is seeking a Manufacturing Process Engineer specializing in Polymer Science to work in Charlotte, North Carolina. The role designs, optimizes, and scales polymer manufacturing processes to improve operational efficiency, product quality, and cost-effectiveness. It works closely with Research & Development, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Maintenance, and Engineering teams to move polymer products from development into full-scale production. The position provides hands-on technical support to production, leads process and continuous-improvement initiatives, supports product and process scale-up, and helps maintain quality, safety, and regulatory compliance. The work takes place across office, laboratory, and manufacturing plant settings, with possible exposure to chemicals, high temperatures, and industrial equipment. Occasional travel to suppliers, customers, or other manufacturing sites may be required.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Polymer Science, Materials Science, or a related field.
- Five years of hands-on manufacturing experience.
- Hands-on experience with equipment such as extruders, reactors, mixers, and drawing.
- Strong understanding of polymer chemistry and processing techniques.
- Ability to evaluate complex technical challenges, identify root causes, and develop practical solutions.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills and ability to work effectively across multidisciplinary teams.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities, coordinate technical initiatives, and drive projects to completion.
- Proactive approach to identifying opportunities for improvement and supporting manufacturing excellence.
Nice To Haves
- Prior experience in polymer processing or chemical manufacturing.
- Knowledge of rheology, thermodynamics, and material characterization methods such as DSC, TGA, and GPC.
- Familiarity with process simulation tools and statistical software such as Minitab and JMP.
- Experience with ERP and MES systems.
Responsibilities
- Design, develop, and optimize polymer manufacturing processes, including extrusion, drawing, compounding, and polymerization.
- Evaluate processes to improve production efficiency, yield, product quality, and throughput.
- Lead scale-up of new products and pilot processes into commercial manufacturing.
- Develop reliable, efficient, and cost-effective manufacturing solutions using engineering principles and technical expertise.
- Troubleshoot manufacturing challenges, process variations, and product defects as a technical resource for production teams.
- Support product development, process improvement, and manufacturing scalability.
- Monitor and optimize Critical to Quality (CTQ) process parameters.
- Develop, implement, and maintain standard operating procedures, process documentation, and manufacturing best practices.
- Collaborate with manufacturing teams to resolve production issues and support operational performance.
- Lead process improvement initiatives using Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, and other continuous-improvement methodologies.
- Identify and implement ways to reduce costs and waste and improve operational efficiency while maintaining product specifications.
- Use process data, statistical analysis, and analytical tools to identify trends, solve problems, and support data-driven decisions.
- Ensure manufacturing processes align with applicable industry standards and regulatory requirements, including ISO, ASTM, and FDA standards where applicable.
- Partner with Quality Assurance to investigate manufacturing issues, conduct root-cause analyses, and implement corrective actions.
- Maintain compliance with applicable safety and environmental requirements, including OSHA and EPA guidelines, and promote safety, quality, and operational excellence.
- Partner with Research & Development on new product introduction, process development, and technology transfer.
- Work with Maintenance and Engineering on equipment improvements, upgrades, and reliability initiatives.
- Collaborate with Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and Quality teams to support commercialization and ongoing production.
- Interface with suppliers and customers on technical matters as needed to support manufacturing and product performance.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
