Materials Application Development Engineer II

Avery Dennison•Miamisburg, OH

23h

About The Position

Avery Dennison is seeking an engineer for its new product innovation organization to develop novel label solutions by combining materials technology development with digital trigger technology applications. The role works on cross-functional projects addressing incremental revenue, cost reduction, business continuity, and quality. It involves translating customer and application needs into technical requirements and deliverables, developing and testing materials and label solutions, and supporting product commercialization and manufacturing scale-up. The engineer develops labels by selecting materials, adhesives, coatings, and inks to meet end-use, printer-compatibility, and manufacturability requirements. The role plans and conducts laboratory and pilot-scale research, supports the introduction of new labels and supplies into production, investigates production issues, and replicates manufacturing scenarios at lab scale. The engineer also researches related and disruptive technologies, evaluates competitive products, and builds knowledge of the labels ecosystem, including RFID, thermal printers, and IoT devices. Working with local and global product development teams and other stakeholders, the engineer validates Voice of Customer, contributes technical plans and milestones to stage-gate projects, manages deliverables, and provides technical support to commercial, marketing, quality, and operations teams. Additional work includes evaluating material substitutions, collaborating with suppliers, conducting experimental studies, communicating results in technical reports, planning invention disclosures for intellectual property, and adhering to EHS standards and Avery Dennison’s 2026 Sustainability Goals. Travel availability of up to 10% is required.

Requirements

Degree in Chemical Engineering, Polymer Science, Chemistry, Material Science, Organic Chemistry, or a comparable field.
3–4+ years of industrial experience in new product development and performance testing for various applications.
Knowledge of materials science, paper materials, adhesives, coatings, inks, food packaging, and flexographic printing.
Experience developing and testing component solutions and conducting device compatibility studies.
Experience with the Stage Gate process and good project-management skills.
Ability to create analogous and novel test methods to simulate real-world environments in the laboratory.
Ability to characterize chemical and physical label-material properties and interpret results from testing instruments.
Experience working across company functions while translating technical details.
Ability to work with scale-up, manufacturing, and quality engineering teams to scale and launch products in a plant.
Ability to manage multiple projects independently with accuracy and attention to detail.
Strong verbal and written communication skills and ability to communicate with and influence all organizational levels.
Availability to travel up to 10% of the time.
Demonstrated teamwork, communication, ownership, continuous learning, curiosity, adaptability, and agility in experimentation.

Responsibilities

Develop labels by selecting materials, adhesives, coatings, and inks to meet end-use application, printer compatibility, and manufacturability requirements.
Plan and execute laboratory and pilot-scale research and translate required characteristics into technical deliverables.
Support the production introduction of new labels and supplies, provide technical expertise on production issues, replicate manufacturing scenarios at lab scale, and support manufacturing and scale-up.
Research adjacent and disruptive technologies to identify potential solution components.
Develop knowledge of the labels technology ecosystem, including RFID, thermal printers, and IoT devices.
Conduct technical comparisons of Avery Dennison products and competitive products.
Collaborate with local NPD teams and global product development leaders; validate Voice of Customer and support commercialization of high-performance products.
Translate Voice of Customer into technical requirements after considering available information.
Lead technical development planning and milestones for NPD stage-gate projects, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and guide decisions using technical conclusions.
Manage projects and deliverables to meet milestones and fast-moving timelines.
Provide technical support to commercial sales, marketing, quality, operations, and other internal stakeholders; answer technical questions and conduct experiments as needed.
Conduct experiments to identify suitable material substitutions.
Represent Avery Dennison as a technical expert in related projects, customer meetings, and visits as needed.
Plan and execute invention disclosures to support intellectual property applications.
Work with suppliers to identify appropriate materials, conduct supplier visits, and develop expertise in raw-material components.
Conduct experimental studies, communicate scientific approaches, and present results with data in technical reports.
Contribute to and follow EHS standards and policies and connect work to Avery Dennison’s 2026 Sustainability Goals.