Materials Scientist

Sterling Site Access Solutions LLC•Phoenix, IL

About The Position

Sterling sells access mat systems and engineered structural products into some of the most demanding environments on earth. The central question driving this hire: are our treatments working — and how do we make our products last longer and do more? This role combines product optimization, innovation, the pursuit of novel materials and approaches across our access mat fleet and our growing structural CLT product line. You'll design the experiments that turn assumptions and vendor claims into Sterling-owned, validated data.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Wood Science, Structural/Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or similar technical discipline
>5 years in structural wood products, plastics, engineered wood, industrial composites, or heavy-duty construction materials
Independent experience designing and interpreting DOE (factorial, response surface, or fractional factorial) in JMP, Minitab, or R
Hands-on experience evaluating structural adhesives, fasteners, or hybrid joining systems in an industrial or construction context
Experience with composite or multi-material configurations (wood-polymer, fiber-reinforced, CLT or laminated assemblies) and the ability to evaluate performance, cost, and manufacturability tradeoffs
Track record of managing large field tests and designing field-realistic tests that account for UV, freeze-thaw, chemical exposure, and sustained load
Technical documentation at a standard suitable for patent filings; prior contribution to provisional or utility filings preferred
Working knowledge of applicable standards (AWPA, ASTM, ANSI, APA)
Project management experience including budget and timeline ownership
Experience working across R&D, manufacturing, operations, and sales

Nice To Haves

Direct experience with wood, plastics, metals and hybrid systems
Technical due diligence experience at a materials or manufacturing company
Familiarity with wood preservation chemistry
Experience testing structural systems

Responsibilities

Materials Strategy & Roadmap: Own Sterling's materials roadmap across mats, CLT, and hybrid composites. Set priorities for treatments, adhesives, species selection, and assembly configurations, and translate materials decisions into specifications, purchasing guidance, and product strategy.
Design of Experiments & Treatment Efficacy: Design and execute structured DOE to evaluate treatment chemistries, application methods, and process variables — establishing what works, on which materials, under which conditions, and with what measurable impact on product life.
CLT & Structural Materials: Support core and adjacent structural products through species, lamina, adhesive, and hybrid configuration work — including CLT flanges paired with glulam or steel ribs for optimized span performance. Evaluate bond line integrity, layup, and durability under sustained load and field exposure.
Adhesive & Assembly Systems: Benchmark structural adhesives, fasteners, and hybrid joining systems across product lines. Characterize failure modes, quantify cost-performance tradeoffs, and evaluate surface preparation effects on treatment uptake and bond performance.
Field-Realistic Testing: Design tests that reflect actual field conditions — UV, freeze-thaw, chemical contamination, and concentrated load cycling. Manage internal bend testing, third-party certification, and beta field deployments to a standard that supports both marketing claims and IP filings.
IP & Technical Documentation: Produce lab notebooks and process documentation that patent attorneys can work from. Identify novel processes and configurations worth protecting, and author the technical content of provisional and utility filings.
Cost-Performance & Value Engineering: Model the ROI of material changes at production scale. Lead value engineering — qualifying alternative species, chemistries, adhesives, and suppliers to reduce cost while maintaining quality, volume, and consistency.
Product Line Expansion: Operationalize new materials and hybrid configurations — wood-polymer, fiber-reinforced, alternative species, engineered assemblies — that open segments current products can't serve. Take promising materials from bench test to production-ready spec.
Technical Due Diligence: As Sterling grows, evaluate materials, processes, and product defensibility, and contribute to the technical component of go/no-go decisions.