Materials Engineer II

Position Summary

American Panel Solutions is seeking a Material Engineer to support material, process, and manufacturing performance within our plant operations. This role is responsible for improving process capability, supporting product quality, investigating material and process-related issues, and helping implement new materials and manufacturing technologies. The Material Engineer will work cross-functionally with operations, quality, engineering, and product development teams to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and ensure products meet customer and internal performance requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Support material and manufacturing process development to improve product quality, throughput, and consistency.
• Lead and support process improvement trials and manufacturing studies to identify root causes of variation, defects, and process upsets.
• Apply data analysis and statistical methods to evaluate process performance, reduce yield loss, and improve operational efficiency.
• Investigate material-related defects, nonconformances, and failure mechanisms; develop corrective and preventive actions.
• Evaluate material properties, process capability, and manufacturing requirements to ensure compliance with product specifications and customer expectations.
• Support finished product quality through inspection methods, testing, data collection, and process control improvements.
• Partner with production, quality, and engineering teams to implement sustainable improvements in process control and manufacturing performance.
• Assist with new product introduction, material qualification, and technology transfer into manufacturing.
• Develop and maintain process documentation, standard operating procedures, work instructions, and training materials.
• Provide technical support for plant operations related to materials selection, process conditions, and performance issues.
• Communicate findings, recommendations, and project updates clearly to internal stakeholders.
• Participate in continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, productivity, and cost reduction.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, or a related engineering/science discipline.
• 2–5 years of experience in materials engineering, process engineering, manufacturing engineering, or a related industrial environment.
• Experience working in a manufacturing setting with responsibility for process improvement, quality, or material performance.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to use data to drive decisions.
• Experience with root cause analysis, defect investigation, and corrective action implementation.
• Working knowledge of material properties and how they relate to manufacturing processes and product performance.
• Experience planning, executing, and documenting experiments, trials, or validation activities.
• Ability to work effectively across cross-functional teams including production, quality, maintenance, and engineering.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in panel manufacturing, composite materials, glass, ceramics, metals, or other engineered materials.
• Familiarity with statistical analysis tools, SPC, DOE, Minitab, or similar data analysis methods.
• Experience with process control, continuous improvement, Lean manufacturing, or Six Sigma methodologies.
• Knowledge of failure analysis techniques and material characterization methods.
• Project management experience supporting process optimization or manufacturing improvements.

Key Skills

• Materials analysis and application
• Manufacturing process support
• Root cause investigation
• Statistical analysis and data interpretation
• Process optimization
• Defect characterization
• Technical documentation
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Continuous improvement
• Problem solving and decision making