Materials Engineer, Polymers (m/f/d)

For our location in Berlin-Adlershof, Germany, we are looking for a

Materials Engineer, Polymers (m/f/d)

Purpose of Position:

Lead materials development activities related to COC (Corning Optical Communications) globally, interact with colleagues for materials development and products manufacturing.  Apply expertise and innovation in polymer science and engineering to support new product development activities and assist with existing products. Assist with polymer compound selection and evaluation for cable applications. Serve as a materials subject matter resource for product and project engineers for new product and process development efforts as well as assist manufacturing with solving materials-related problems. Also demonstrate technical leadership and innovation in the area of materials science and polymer engineering through rigorous mechanistic problem-solving approaches.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct research, propose experiments and analyze data to test hypotheses to enhance understanding of products and processes and to provide Corning with inventive solutions toward new development efforts. 
• Apply sophisticated scientific or engineering understanding to research or development problems, ideas or projects.
• Participate in projects and collaborate with internal teams, providing polymer materials fundamental understanding and development support.
• Interface with suppliers and procurement to test and evaluate new materials, analytical equipment and services. Work with suppliers to resolve problems with materials as well as maintain relationships with suppliers to stay abreast of new material availability.
• Lead and support materials-focused development work for short and long-term R&D goals.
• Balance hands-on work-related activities with technical leadership related activities.
• Collaborate with research and manufacturing functions throughout product development cycle.
• Communicate and document results.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in material science, polymer science and technology or chemistry. Master’s degree and above is a plus.
• Experience with polymers, and polymer compounds or formulations.
• Experience with polymer processing (e.g. extrusion, injection molding, etc.)
• Relevant experience in product development or product testing.
• Ability to apply fundamental understanding & scientific principles to solve technical problems and identify product solutions.
• Ability to document work and write reports in clear English that can convey technical investigation findings.
• Ability to communicate and present the work to the international teams.
• Ability to formulate testing protocols for desired material properties, familiar with basic analytic capabilities (tensile, FTIR, TGA, DSC, …)
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and SharePoint)
• Fluency in English, German language skills would be an asset. 

Desired Skills:

• Knowledge of wide range of polymers including thermoplastic or thermoset.
• Structure-property knowledge of polymers.
• Experience in polymer extrusion, especially cable or pipe extrusion.
• Experience with flame retardancy of polymers and compound formulations, especially in polyolefins.
• Deep understanding with polymer characterization methods such as rheology, DMA, DSC, TGA, TMA, SEM and mechanical testing; understanding or experience with optical testing a plus.
• Experiences with the evaluation of product lifetime.
• International work experience.

Soft Skills:

• Ability to work within a multicultural team environment.
• Ability to work independently.
• Effective oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to mentor other engineers and train others on primary knowledge base.
• Expected to bring enthusiasm, collaboratory, and innovative spirit.
• Proactive work attitude.

Additional Information:

• Travel: max. 25%.
• Location: Adlershof, Berlin.
• Hours of work: 40 hrs./wk. mostly onsite.