Principal Materials Engineer - Polymers (Advanced Engineering)

About this role

Job Description:

Principal Materials Engineer – Polymers (Advanced Engineering)  

Bring   deep technical authority and first-principles rigor   to define, mature, and scale   polymer materials and processing approaches   across Milwaukee Tool’s   Hand Tools business unit   (Hand Tools, Storage, PPE).  

As a Principal Materials Engineer, you serve as the   subject matter expert in polymer systems , driving material   selection , development, validation,   processing, and manufacturability   decisions for   high-impact applications . You define material performance intent, develop validation strategies, and translate results into confident material decisions from   early exploration through commercialization .  

You   operate   with   high autonomy   across Advanced Engineering (R&D) and platform development, independently progressing multiple material efforts in parallel. You also lead direct technical engagement with material suppliers and development partners to solve   complex material challenges .  

This role emphasizes   early-stage material exploration and innovation , requiring the ability to   identify   emerging material opportunities and generate insights before formal validation pathways exist.  

Key Responsibilities  

• Define material performance intent tied to end-use conditions, durability, and manufacturability requirements  

• Develop, qualify, and implement polymer systems (plastics, elastomers, coatings, adhesives, composites) from concept through production-ready specifications, ensuring alignment between   design intent, tooling strategy, processing conditions, manufacturability, and field performance  

• Define and execute platform-level material strategies, enabling consistent performance and manufacturability across product architectures  

• Translate experimental and field data into   material and process decisions   by linking processing–structure–property relationships to end-use performance and failure modes, and by driving upfront analysis prior to tooling and trials  

• Scout and evaluate emerging   polymer, elastomeric, and flexible material technologies   — including startup platforms, university-derived materials, and supplier development pipelines — to expand the organization’s   materials and processing capability roadmap  

• Design   novel test methodologies   where standard approaches   fail to   fully characterize material behavior; treat data exploration as a primary tool for surfacing   material and process insights   that drive early-stage decisions  

• Apply materials   expertise   across   rigid and flexible polymer systems , including elastomeric components,   overmolded   interfaces, and protective padding or soft goods applications relevant to PPE and hand tool ergonomics  

• Lead direct technical engagement with global material suppliers and development partners to co-develop and mature advanced   material and process solutions  

• Lead root-cause investigations for complex material failures, applying   appropriate analytical   techniques to   identify   failure mechanisms and translate findings into   design, material, or process changes ;   maintain   familiarity with relevant test methods and   demonstrate   willingness to work   hands-on in the lab   as needed  

• Drive corrective actions that prevent recurrence through changes in material   selection , design, or processing conditions  

• Provide targeted support to high-impact production or field issues (~10%), focused on complex or ambiguous failures  

• Influence design, manufacturing, and sourcing decisions to ensure alignment between material selection, processing, and product performance  

• Apply   strong working knowledge   of DFM and tooling to polymer material   selection —understanding how material, processing, and design impact tooling and vice versa, and using that understanding to influence manufacturability and development decisions  

• Develop sufficient fluency in injection molding simulation workflows (e.g., Moldflow, FEA, material models) to define meaningful inputs, interpret outputs, and drive targeted requests in partnership with dedicated simulation resources;   direct simulation execution capability is preferred but not   required  

• Document material intent, assumptions, tradeoffs, and risks in clear specifications and recommendations  

• Mentor engineers and elevate technical rigor in materials evaluation and decision-making  

• Operate across a wide range of polymer systems and applications, applying depth selectively where technical risk is highest  

Typical Advanced Engineering Flow  

• Discovery:   Identify   unmet performance needs; evaluate materials technologies and external capabilities  

• Definition:   Translate application requirements into material performance intent,   processing strategy, manufacturability considerations,   and validation approach  

• Exploration:   Develop and test material systems; iterate with suppliers and partners;   explore process windows and tooling interactions ; quantify tradeoffs and failure modes  

• Validation:   Confirm performance, durability, and manufacturability; retire material and process risk  

• Commercialization:   Deliver production-ready specifications, test methods, and supplier alignment; support launch as SME  

Qualifications  

• Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science, Polymer Engineering, or related field; advanced degree preferred  

• 10+ years of experience in polymer materials engineering across R&D, development, or manufacturing  

• Deep   expertise   in plastics, elastomers, thermosets, adhesives, coatings, and composite systems  

• Proven ability to solve complex technical problems and lead root cause analysis  

• Experience working directly with material suppliers and development partners  

• Strong ability to translate data into decisions and communicate clearly across functions  

• Strong working knowledge   of polymer processing (e.g., injection molding,

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