Senior Design Engineer

Eastman • Kingsport, TN

27d • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Design Engineer combines expertise in materials science, polymer science, data science, and artificial intelligence to build the data foundation, machine learning models, and AI-enabled tools supporting Eastman's Specialty Plastics business. The role uses Eastman's proprietary material, processing, application, and customer knowledge to develop digital solutions that accelerate product development, improve technical decision-making, enhance customer support, and create differentiated business value. The position is onsite at Eastman's headquarters in Kingsport, Tennessee.

Requirements

• PhD in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Polymer Science, Computer Science, Data Science, Computational Engineering, or a related field, with 1–2 years of relevant postdoctoral or industrial experience; or a master's degree in a related field with 4–5 years of relevant industry experience in material informatics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, data science, or related technical disciplines.
• Strong programming skills, particularly in Python and modern data science environments.
• Experience developing, validating, and deploying machine learning models and AI applications.
• Experience with large language models, prompt engineering, retrieval-augmented generation, vector databases, embeddings, and knowledge retrieval systems.
• Strong data management, analytical, and problem-solving skills, including the ability to work with structured and unstructured datasets.
• Ability to translate technical and business needs into practical digital solutions.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams.

Nice To Haves

• Academic or industry experience combining materials science with computational or AI disciplines.
• Experience applying AI, machine learning, or advanced analytics to scientific, engineering, manufacturing, or product development challenges.
• Experience building AI assistants, copilots, agent-based systems, or decision-support tools.
• Experience integrating simulation outputs, such as Moldflow, Ansys, Comsol, or Simulink results, with machine learning models.
• Understanding of polymer processing, materials characterization, manufacturing, product development, or application engineering.
• Experience in specialty plastics, polymers, advanced materials, specialty chemicals, or manufacturing industries.
• Experience developing predictive models using limited, incomplete, or real-world industrial datasets.

Responsibilities

• Build, expand, and maintain proprietary data assets, including failure analysis data, processing parameters, material properties, characterization results, application performance data, and customer project information.
• Establish data collection, documentation, and governance standards to improve the quality, consistency, and usability of technical data.
• Work with IT, Digital, and Data Science teams to develop secure, scalable, and reliable data infrastructure while protecting company and customer information.
• Develop, deploy, maintain, and continuously improve AI-powered tools for technical workflows, including failure analysis, design-for-manufacturability, material selection, processing optimization, troubleshooting, and root-cause analysis.
• Build and maintain AI assistants and knowledge systems that help technical and commercial teams access information and answer routine technical questions.
• Develop machine learning models combining historical material, processing, application, and Moldflow simulation data to predict performance, identify failure risks, and recommend optimization opportunities.
• Develop AI-enabled application-development tools that recommend materials, processing conditions, design guidelines, and application solutions using Eastman's proprietary technical knowledge.
• Partner with scientists, engineers, application development teams, manufacturing personnel, commercial teams, and data scientists to identify opportunities for AI and machine learning to improve productivity and technical outcomes.
• Evaluate emerging AI technologies and implement practical solutions that enhance innovation, knowledge management, and business performance.

Benefits

• Base pay plus performance-based incentive opportunities.
• Comprehensive medical, prescription-drug, and dental coverage, with a Health Savings Account option.
• Voluntary benefits, including vision, optional life, and critical-illness protection.
• Financial-planning tools, family-building assistance (adoption, pregnancy, and fertility resources), parental leave, and confidential Employee Assistance Program counseling.
• 401(k) with a company match and an additional annual retirement contribution.
• Eleven paid holidays, one personal day, paid time off, and paid vacation.
• Access to mentorship, learning resources, and leadership programs.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior