Material Development Engineer

Over 35 years ago, First Quality is a family-owned company that has grown from a small business in McElhattan, Pennsylvania into a group of companies, employing over 5,000 team members, while maintaining our family values and entrepreneurial spirit. With corporate offices in New York and Pennsylvania and 8 manufacturing campuses across the U.S. and Canada, the companies within the First Quality group produce high-quality personal care and household products for large retailers and healthcare organizations. Our personal care and household product portfolio includes baby diapers, wipes, feminine pads, paper towels, bath tissue, adult incontinence products, laundry detergents, fabric finishers, and dishwash solutions. In addition, we manufacture certain raw materials and components used in the manufacturing of these products, including flexible print and packaging solutions.

Guided by our values of humility, unity, and integrity, we leverage advanced technology and innovation to drive growth and create new opportunities. At First Quality, you’ll find a collaborative environment focused on continuous learning, professional development, and our mission to Make Things Better®.

We are seeking an experienced Material Development Engineer for our First Quality Products facility located in McElhattan, PA.

The purpose of the Material Development/Materials Process Engineer position is to lead material development and the material cost innovation work process while ensuring consistent material quality, supply and material processability on our lines for our absorbent hygiene products. This individual will lead some material innovation activities and work with & provide technical expertise for continuous improvement activities of the process teams for new and existing products within the business unit. This role will work in collaboration with each facility’s process Engineers, operations, Quality Engineers and Product Developers in addition to working with our external supply partners. This individual will lead both internal and external trials in specific material categories.

Principal Accountabilities/ Responsibilities:

• Promotes a safety culture, embracing safety as a core value, instilling and exemplifying a safety mindset for all team members resulting in an incident free workplace.
• Works in conjunction with Quality department to ensure consistent raw material quality and that finished product satisfies all finished product quality standards.
• Work closely with suppliers, external partners and internal team members including quality and process team members to define material needs and create/refine/review raw material specifications.
• Work closely with both production and process team members to ensure good material processability on our converting lines.
• Support funding the growth activities related to materials for the Absorbent Hygiene business.
• Investigate new material and relevant technologies and collaborate with PD team members to continuously improve our absorbent hygiene products.
• Develops deeper material understanding for some of the material categories such as non-wovens, films, pulp, sap, adhesives, elastics and laminates etc.,
• Develops Intellectual proprietary (IP) where applicable to establish competitive advantage, and ensure FTP for performance and cost innovative materials
• Assists in planning, conducting, analyzing, and interpreting technical services.
• Responsible for project planning and execution on commercial and pilot line trials.
• Responsible for evaluating analytical data including material characterization and relaying the information to non-technical personnel.
• Responsible for organizing Material Development pipeline and raw material qualifications.
• Always maintains a high level of professionalism.
• 25% travel domestic and internationally.

Education and experience requirements:

• Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering/ Polymers/ Materials Science or Mechanical Engineering preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years in Project or Process Engineering experience.
• Minimum of 5 years in industrial experience.
• Minimum of 2-5 years Material Development/Process experience.
• Experience in a lean manufacturing environment preferred.
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Ability to develop and organize multiple projects.
• Ability to work with a diverse, cross-functional team of professionals to deliver against key objectives and timelines.
• Knowledge and understanding of absorbent hygiene raw materials, material interactions within product and converting processes preferred
• Specific expertise in the following areas: raw materials; material testing; material specifications; trial planning and execution; intellectual property; and project management.
• Knowledge of material science and analytical testing procedures.
• Knowledge and use of statistical analysis.
• Knowledge and use of Design of Experiments.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office, Microsoft Excel, Minitab, as well as other office systems.
• SAP knowledge preferred.

What We Offer You

We believe that by continuously improving the quality of our benefits, we can help to raise the quality of life for our team members and their families. At First Quality you will receive:

• Competitive base salary and bonus opportunities
• Paid time off (three-week minimum)
• Medical, dental and vision starting day one
• 401(k) with employer match
• Paid parental leave
• Child and family care assistance (dependent care FSA with employer match up to $2500)
• Bundle of joy benefit (years' worth of free diapers to all team members with a new baby)
• Tuition assistance
• Wellness program with savings of up to $4,000 per year on insurance premiums
• ...and more!

For immediate consideration, please go to the Careers section at to complete our online application.

First Quality is committed to protecting information under the care of First Quality Enterprises commensurate with leading industry standards and applicable regulations. As such, First Quality provides at least annual training regarding data privacy and security to employees who, as a result of their role specifications, may come in to contact with sensitive data.

First Quality is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identification, or protected Veteran status.