Thermoplastics Lead Engineer

Role details

Job Title: Thermoplastics Lead Engineer

Locations: Amesbury, MA

Pay: $80,000 - $135,000/yr DoE

Start Date: ASAP

Join an Industry Leader in Advanced Materials!

Our client is a global leader in advanced engineered materials supporting the aerospace, defense, industrial, energy, and transportation industries. They are seeking an experienced Thermoplastics Lead Engineer to join their engineering team in Amesbury, Massachusetts.

This is an excellent opportunity for an engineering professional with expertise in thermoplastics manufacturing, extrusion, injection molding, and process development to play a key technical leadership role supporting innovative products and manufacturing technologies.

You'll serve as the site's technical expert for thermoplastics engineering while leading process improvements, supporting new product introductions, mentoring team members, and helping drive manufacturing excellence.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and validate thermoplastic tooling for manufacturing processes including extrusion and injection molding.

• Operate, troubleshoot, and optimize single-screw and twin-screw extrusion equipment and injection molding systems.

• Partner with production teams to improve manufacturing processes, increase efficiency, and resolve technical issues.

• Specify new manufacturing equipment and support equipment upgrades and installations.

• Develop manufacturing procedures and provide technical troubleshooting support.

• Perform laboratory and pilot-scale compounding of new polymer and filler systems.

• Serve as the technical Subject Matter Expert (SME) for thermoplastics engineering projects across the facility.

• Provide technical leadership, mentoring, coaching, and development for engineering and production personnel.

• Collaborate with Manufacturing, Quality, Operations, Maintenance, and Production teams to ensure successful project execution.

• Support New Product Introduction (NPI) activities by participating in customer meetings, defining manufacturing processes, and providing technical guidance.

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, productivity, cost reduction, and customer satisfaction.

• Support capital equipment projects from concept through implementation.

Qualifications - Required

• Bachelor's degree in Plastics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in thermoplastics manufacturing with strong experience in profile extrusion and/or twin-screw compounding.

• Experience with injection molding processes.

• Proficiency with SolidWorks and/or Solid Edge.

• Strong knowledge of:

o Tooling design

o Mold flow analysis

o Design for Manufacturability (DFM)

o Manufacturing scale-up

o Process optimization

o Statistical Process Control (SPC)

• Ability to interpret engineering drawings and technical specifications.

• Excellent troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.

• Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma experience

• Six Sigma Black Belt certification

• Capital equipment/project management experience

• Experience with cost modeling, quotations, Bills of Material (BOMs), and manufacturing routings

• Experience supporting New Product Introduction (NPI)

Work Authorization Requirements

• Due to federal government contract requirements, this position requires candidates to be U.S. Citizens who are eligible to obtain and maintain a Department of Defense (DoD) Security Clearance.

• Successful completion of a pre-employment background check and drug screening will be required.

Why Apply?

This is an opportunity to join an innovative manufacturing organization where you'll have a direct impact on advanced product development, manufacturing technology, and continuous improvement initiatives. If you're passionate about thermoplastics processing, solving complex engineering challenges, and driving operational excellence, we'd love to hear from you.

Belcan is an equal opportunity employer. Your application and candidacy will not be considered based on race, color, sex, religion, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws