Material Development Jobs in Michigan (NOW HIRING)

LG Chem's Engineered Plastics portfolio contains products such as Polycarbonate, PBT, Polyamide and mPPO and TPEE. All Engineered Plastics are highly processable and can be manufactured in various colors. They are used in numerous areas such as automobiles, home appliances, IT devices, etc. Products that may resonate in everyday life include Automotive interiors (console, arm rest, dashboard items, door trim, switches), exteriors (front and rear lamp housing, spoiler, side mirror housing, bumpers, radiator grill) and engine compartment (engine cover, air intake manifold, cylinder head cover, etc) notebook or smartphone, interior compartments etc.

We are actively searching for a technical service/application development engineer to join our team based in Troy, MI. This is an individual contributor role and the incoming will work with a sales team to develop new customers for our Engineering Plastics. 

What You’ll Be Doing

Essential Functions (include but are not limited to):

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Visit customer and introduce product to customers
• Solution Partner Activity – consult with customers to provide solutions to issues or support product development
• Develop product specifications – develop expertise with new materials and analyze market information to determine feasibility to develop tailored specifications for customers.
• Investigate needs and provide actionable solutions for customers
• Provide technical support by creating process guides and applying plastic and extrusion expertise to resolve customer issues
• Develop and recommend innovative projects using insights from market research and material studies.
• Provide technical reports and written materials to support product introduction and data evaluation
• Conduct in-person or virtual seminars to train and support customers
• Provide products recommendations based on customer needs
• Plan product testing with internal or external test laboratories

Qualifications, Skills and Experience: What We’re Looking For

Education/Qualifications:  

Bachelor or advanced degrees in relevant polymer fields such as Chemical engineering, polymer engineering, chemicals, etc. highly preferred 

Requirements:

• 5+years of experience in material development and market development at a plastic (Engineering thermoplastics resins) manufacturer (polymerization or compounding). Ideal candidates will have experience of technical service at plastic compounder) and/or experience of plastic analysis.
• 5+years experience of material development or approval as engineer or technical manager at OEM or Tier 1 of automotive, home appliances or consumer products. 
• 5+years of experience in injection or processing of thermoplastics. Experience may include plastic post processing (paint, metal plating etc.)
• This is an individual contributor role carrying out customer development activities while being a member of a larger team.
• Strong communication and coordination skills.
• Bilingual Spanish and English is desirable but not required.

Ideal Candidate

• Proactive and self-driven, with a strong sense of ownership.
• A clear and structured communicator who can build trust with stakeholders.
• Highly organized, with the ability to synthesize and simplify complex information.
• Solution-oriented and capable of driving improvements independently.
• Skilled in use of PCs and related software (Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook, etc.)
• Knowledge of SAP (ERP) system is preferred.

Personal competences & knowledge:

• Confident and reliable interaction with all levels of the organization, customers and suppliers
• Proactive, committed, and skilled in effective communication
• Enhanced team performance through coaching, mentoring, and sharing expertise.
• Curious spirit and ability to work independently under high pressure
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced matrixed environment
• Self-starter with excellent organizational and time management skills 
• Strategic management competency: pro-actively identify problems, targets, relevant issues. 
• Skilled in data evaluation, strategic planning, forecasting, and process development
• Strong knowledge of procedures and methodologies with ability to analyze, select appropriate approaches, and forecast risk and profit.
• Interpret data trends to guide business decisions, identify requirements, and manage technical project delivery
• Lead implementation of new projects and develop innovative solutions using existing technologies.
• Ability to produce clear, thorough documentation with exceptional attention to detail
• Strong team player with high social and cross-cultural competence
• Quick learner with exceptional flexibility
• Skilled at encouraging teamwork and a collaborative approach
• Agile thinker with a positive attitude toward change and commitment to growth
• Willingness to travel up to 50%