Hi-Cone · 6 hours ago
Materials Engineer
Itasca, IL
Full-time
Onsite
Mid Level
$100K/yr - $120K/yr
3+ years expHi-Cone is advancing sustainable packaging solutions and is seeking a Materials Engineer to optimize material performance and drive innovation in beverage packaging systems. The role involves material development, testing, and collaboration with cross-functional teams to define material standards and ensure efficient delivery of sustainable solutions.
Food and BeverageFood ProcessingManufacturingPackaging Services
Responsibilities
Material Portfolio Innovation: Evaluate material categories and supplier capabilities against product and system performance requirements
Research emerging material technologies and provide strategic assessments in alignment with the innovation pipeline and long-term platform roadmap
Develop property benchmarking criteria for alternate material categories to establish consistent baseline KPIs
Develop and implement global material testing protocols to ensure consistent evaluation across all facilities
Define material evaluation criteria and identify required analytical and testing equipment to support standardized qualification methods
Create standardized work instructions for laboratory activities, train technicians and monitor adherence to define procedures
Issue material specifications and Certificates of Analysis (CoA) requirements to supply chain to ensure material compliance
Develop standard additive formulations to optimize material performance, manufacturability, and end use functionality
Identify key process variables influencing material performance and provide actionable guidance to operations for improved consistency, quality, and overall process capability
Support evaluation activities linking material characteristics to process capability, system performance, and manufacturability to drive continuous improvement
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in materials / polymer engineering, or related field, required
Strong knowledge of cast extrusion, material blending, and optimization
Experience with broad material evaluation across multiple categories
Familiarity with a stage gate product design and development process
Learning Agility: Quickly understand and apply new concepts to drive execution
Analytical Thinking: Evaluate and interpret complex data to define desired outcomes and potential solutions
Collaborative: Strong team-oriented approach to problem analysis and resolution
Adaptability: Ability to adjust to changing project requirements, emerging technologies, and evolving industry trends
Strategic Mindset: Ability to anticipate future trends, align decisions with long-term objectives, and prioritize actions that create sustainable value
Project Management: Demonstrated ability to consistently execute projects and meet objectives/timelines
Product Design: Clear focused approach to innovative development grounded in stage gate process to ensure cross functional alignment
Material Development: Strong background in the evaluation, modification, and application of various material categories, ideally polymer and fiber based
Product Testing: Proficient in evaluation, instrumentation, and data analysis to ensure compliance with specifications and standards
Preferred
3–5 years of experience in material development, sustainability focus preferred
Familiarity with continuous improvement methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma preferred)
Experience with CAD, SolidWorks or AutoCAD preferred
Benefits
Medical and Prescription Drug
Dental
Flexible Spending
Wellness
Basic and Voluntary Life and Accident Insurance
Dependent Life
Disability
Company
Hi-Cone
Hi-Cone is a packaging and containers company providing bottles and cans for beverages.
51-200 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageRecent News
EIN Presswire
2025-06-30
Company data provided by crunchbase