Senior Principal Materials Engineer

Nordson Medical, a global leader in Interventional Solutions, Fluid Components, and Surgical Solutions, is seeking an experienced and highly motivated individual to join our team. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we are looking for candidates who share that same commitment.

Summary of the role

As a member of our team, you will have the opportunity to work in a dynamic and collaborative environment, where your ideas and contributions will be valued and respected.

Job Title: Senior Principal Materials Engineer

Department: Engineering

Main Purpose of Job:

This position will be an expert in all facets of materials science, specifically medical grade polymers, and function as a subject matter expert across all Nordson MEDICAL Interventional Solutions (NMIS) businesses. A ‘hands-on’ position managing the selection and qualification of new materials, interacting closely with suppliers and testing organizations, and working directly with sales professionals in selecting appropriate materials for unique customer applications. This position will also work closely with operations and manufacturing engineering in developing new processes and equipment technology. This role requires subject matter expertise, individual contribution with quantified results, informal leadership and conformance with applicable Nordson MEDICAL Quality Management Systems.

Main Job Duties/Responsibilities

• Act, contribute and achieve quantifiable results across the business and consistent with expectations of a polymer materials SME.
• Identification and Implementation of new materials.
• Assess and direct process capability improvement of various polymer manufacturing processes, including extrusion, FEP expansion, solution casting, polyimide manufacturing etc. 
• Manage relationships with raw material suppliers and third-party materials analysis laboratories
• Implement and validate appropriate testing methods to assure quality at the source.
• Owner of all company-controlled material specifications and test methods for incoming inspection, material release and in-process quality control to ensure material quality and consistency.
• Actively contributes to the design of new process controls and equipment ensuring robust and cost-effective manufacturing processes which optimize material performance, yield and productivity. Partner effectively with Manufacturing and Quality to smoothly implement material changes and to ensure ongoing material quality and consistency.
• Using materials science expertise, lead technical teams in appropriate engineering studies, materials assessments, validations and failure mode analyses to realize substantial operational efficiency. 
• Act as project leader for materials-focused product development projects.
• Evaluate and recommend methods to verify molecular condition of materials pre- and post-processing.
• Maintain market knowledge of available materials deployed in our markets.  Select, develop and qualify new materials and vendors as needed.  Correlate material properties to product functional performance and guide Sales, Engineering and customers into the best materials for each application.
• Follow all Quality procedures and employment policies ensuring that FDA and Quality standards are achieved in an ethical manner.
• Leadership in executing process improvements utilizing Lean Six Sigma methodologies
• Support internal and external audits from a polymer material expertise perspective.
• Maintain safe and clean working environment by enforcing procedures, rules, and regulations.
• Other duties as assigned

Job Requirements:

• Knowledge: Polymer Science Subject Matter Expert regarding materials, processing, control, monitoring, and quality assessment thereof: extrusion, expansion, coating, inspection, quality
• Problem Complexity: Develops resolutions to problems of high scope across manufacturing departments and locations. Creates standard practices and procedures, documents software and hardware accordingly.  
• Freedom to Act: Change Agent. Subject Matter expert with a very high degree of professional discipline to achieve lasting positive results.
• Impact: Contributions drive breakthrough performance.  Failure to accomplish correctly, in an organized method and in a timely manner may have significant effect on the organization.
• Liaison: Contacts are primarily with Senior Management, Suppliers (materials and labs), Technical Personnel and Customers.
• Education/Experience: Ph.D. in Materials Science with 5 years of demonstrable expertise and consistent contribution in medical, automotive, aeronautical, or defense environment preferred. Demonstrated experience/expertise in polymer process engineering, statics, statistical process control. An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered. Any equipment design, manufacturing engineering or catheter design experience will be highly valued.

Skills and Abilities:

• Able to operate and thrive in a demanding, fast-paced, fluid environment.
• Expert technical background in material science and engineering as applied to medical devices. 
• Excellent critical thinking skills with the capability to quickly dissect situations and solve problems.
• Must exhibit good communication, project management, and interpersonal skills, and the ability to manage his/her own priorities and workload while working in a team environment. Adept at presenting complex topics internally and to customers. 
• Proficient in statistical analyses including graphical representation of data, hypothesis testing, and the formulation, execution, and analysis of Designs of Experiments (DOE). Proficiency in Minitab.
• Experience with Quality and Regulatory Systems for Medical Devices
• Strong understanding and ability to use Microsoft Office Tools (Outlook, Word, Excel, Project, Visio, PowerPoint and SharePoint)
• Travel up to 25%, as required.

Interested?

If you are interested in being a part of a team and creating an inclusive and diverse workplace, please apply online with your CV.

About Nordson Medical

At Nordson MEDICAL, you don't have to be a doctor to help save lives. We are the global expert in the design, development, and manufacturing of complex medical devices and component technologies. By joining our team today, you will help us bring innovative ideas to life. Nordson MEDICAL is a global team that works to create components for life-saving medical devices. We offer a supportive culture in a growing and dynamic work environment. Whether you're just beginning your career or you're a seasoned professional, there's a place for you to belong at Nordson MEDICAL. We offer hourly and salary positions in production, maintenance, customer service, quality, engineering, and more. We actively invest in our teams to help you build your skillsets and advance your career.