Sr Materials Engineer
Job Description:Sr. Material Innovation Engineer - Textiles & PPEBring
first-principles rigor and evidence-backed decisions to deliver production-ready material innovations that raise the bar for
performance, reliability, and manufacturability in PPE. In this role, you lead material maturation by defining end-use performance intent, translating lab and field data into clear decisions, and retiring technical risk from early exploration through commercialization. You own validation and material readiness, partner directly with suppliers and factories, and ensure innovations scale confidently-where failure carries real
life-safety consequences.
Key Responsibilities- Define material performance objectives tied to end-use hazards and life-safety outcomes; develop and execute validation strategies for durability, protection, comfort, and environmental exposure.
- Translate lab test results into end-use decisions, correlating bench data with field performance and observed failure modes.
- Identify, evaluate, and mature novel fibers, yarns, chemistries, coatings, foams, and hybrid textile systems through external tech scouting and partnerships (vendors, tech partners, universities).
- Serve as primary technical liaison to factories and material suppliers; manage sample cadence, pilot runs, and commercialization readiness for gloves and softgoods.
- Balance performance, cost, and scalability across textile architectures and processes (knitting, weaving, lamination, coating, welding, bonding, cut-and-sew).
- Use modern data science and digital tools to accelerate material screening, pattern recognition, and decision-making-while maintaining engineering judgment and safety context.
- Document material intent, assumptions, trade-offs, and risks in clear specifications and recommendations; align cross-functional teams on confident down-selects.
- Mentor engineers and developers in material evaluation, test interpretation, and first-principles thinking applied to PPE systems.
Typical Advanced Engineering FlowDiscovery: Identify unmet protection or durability needs; scout external technologies; benchmark performance and risk.
Definition: Translate hazards into material performance intent; select validation methods and supplier pathways.
Exploration: Develop and test material constructions; iterate with partners; quantify trade-offs and failure modes.
Validation: Confirm field-relevant performance, durability, and manufacturability; retire material and process risk.
Commercialization: Deliver production-ready specs, test methods, and supplier alignment; support launch as SME.
Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Textile Engineering, Polymer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field; advanced degree a plus.
- 5+ years in materials innovation, PPE, softgoods, footwear, or technical textiles.
- Deep expertise in fibers, yarns, textiles, leathers, synthetics, coatings, foams, and composite constructions.
- Proven ability to convert test data into end-use material decisions.
- Strong supplier and factory engagement experience across textile and softgoods manufacturing.
- Comfortable applying advanced analytics, automation, and AI-enabled tools to improve development efficiency.
- Clear communicator who can align material science, manufacturing reality, and life-safety requirements.
- Willingness to travel ~10%.
Milwaukee Tool is an equal opportunity employer.
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