What does a materials development engineer do?
Materials development engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real materials development engineer resumes:
- Manage and successfully complete carbon/epoxy material qualification and gain approval from FAA to use in manufacturing of composite aircraft parts.
- Evaluate epoxy formulations and adhesive tapes used to encapsulate all plastic film capacitors, including UL and ASTM material/flammability testing.
- Develop basic extrusion procedures and temperature profiles for polyurethane extrusion.
- Optimize polymer extrusion processes from development to implementation to the plant floor to product commercialization and subsequent continual improvement.
- Provide production support including developing LabVIEW base testing system, working procedure analysis/optimization and documentation, assembler training and equipment trouble-shooting.
- Synthesize cobalt nanoparticles and evaluate the tuning of magnetic properties for applications in biomedicine and data storage.
Materials development engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 21% of Materials Development Engineers are proficient in Product Development, Quality Standards, and Mechanical Properties. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Speaking skills, and Writing skills.
We break down the percentage of Materials Development Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Product Development, 21%
Decreased product enhancement cycle time by 4 weeks by utilizing lean product development methodology.
- Quality Standards, 11%
Analyzed material requirements and ensured that vendor-supplied parts and components met specifications and Caterpillar's quality standards including APQP and PPAP.
- Mechanical Properties, 8%
Developed system armor solutions and coordinated mechanical properties of metals with suppliers to meet threat requirements supplied by customer.
- R, 7%
Attended Steven R Schmidt Design of Experiments training.
- Material Suppliers, 5%
Coordinate with material suppliers to establish material specification requirements, facility auditing and resolving supply chain and quality related issues.
- Test Methods, 4%
Utilized standard test methods and developed testing protocols to characterize in process and aged material properties.
"product development," "quality standards," and "mechanical properties" are among the most common skills that materials development engineers use at work. You can find even more materials development engineer responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a materials development engineer to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "materials engineers often work on projects related to other fields of engineering." Additionally, a materials development engineer resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "developed microscopic photoelastic strain analysis techniques leading to problem resolution on injection molded and blow molded plastic components. "
Speaking skills. Many materials development engineer duties rely on speaking skills. "while working with technicians, technologists, and other engineers, materials engineers must state concepts and directions clearly," so a materials development engineer will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways materials development engineer responsibilities rely on speaking skills: "executed mechanical property tests, presented the results to qrb, and authored a material specification for procurement quality conformance. "
Writing skills. materials development engineers are also known for writing skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to materials development engineer responsibilities, because "materials engineers must write plans and reports clearly so that people without a materials engineering background can understand the concepts." A materials development engineer resume example shows how writing skills is used in the workplace: "created designs to exact specifications by writing advanced custom css stylesheets for both print and web. "
Math skills. For certain materials development engineer responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "math skills." The day-to-day duties of a materials development engineer rely on this skill, as "materials engineers use the principles of calculus and other advanced topics in math for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what materials development engineers do: "apply various mathematical tools (ms excel, matlab, minitab etc.). "
Problem-solving skills. Another crucial skill for a materials development engineer to carry out their responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." A big part of what materials development engineers relies on this skill, since "materials engineers must understand the relationship between materials’ structures, their properties, how they are made, and how these factors affect the products they are used to make." How this skill relates to materials development engineer duties can be seen in an example from a materials development engineer resume snippet: "solved manufacturing problems and issues with sustaining engineers on failure analysis, microstructural analysis of various ferrous and non-ferrous materials. "
The three companies that hire the most materials development engineers are:
- Perry Ellis International2 materials development engineers jobs
- Raytheon Technologies2 materials development engineers jobs
- VF2 materials development engineers jobs
Compare different materials development engineers
Materials development engineer vs. Metallurgist
A metallurgist is responsible for producing metal items and resources to create components used for large manufacturing and industrial production. Metallurgists operate various machine tools and equipment, requiring them to have a strict adherence to the workplace's safety protocols and regulations to prevent potential hazards and operational delays. They also identify cost-efficient methods for the processes without compromising high-quality standards and business requirements. A metallurgist conducts troubleshooting and enhances technical solutions for production and manufacturing discrepancies.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a materials development engineer are more likely to require skills like "quality standards," "mechanical properties," "material suppliers," and "test methods." On the other hand, a job as a metallurgist requires skills like "continuous improvement," "aerospace," "heat treat," and "data analysis." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Metallurgists really shine in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $79,892. Comparatively, materials development engineers tend to make the most money in the retail industry with an average salary of $93,357.The education levels that metallurgists earn slightly differ from materials development engineers. In particular, metallurgists are 3.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a materials development engineer. Additionally, they're 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Materials development engineer vs. Engineer
Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects. They should also be well-versed in different construction or industrial materials, and they ensure that appropriate materials are used for the project. They also ensure that the projects meet the requirements of the groups that hired them. They create spaces that would both address the needs of the end-users and the industry standards. They also ensure that the projects they make would stand the test of time.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that materials development engineer responsibilities requires skills like "product development," "quality standards," "mechanical properties," and "material suppliers." But an engineer might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "python," "cloud," "c++," and "c #."
On average, engineers earn a higher salary than materials development engineers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, engineers earn the most pay in the automotive industry with an average salary of $97,672. Whereas materials development engineers have higher pay in the retail industry, with an average salary of $93,357.engineers earn lower levels of education than materials development engineers in general. They're 5.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for materials development engineers in the next 3-5 years?
Peter Rosado
Associate Professor of Chemistry, Georgia College and State University
Materials development engineer vs. Materials branch chief
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, materials development engineers are more likely to have skills like "product development," "quality standards," "mechanical properties," and "r." But a materials branch chief is more likely to have skills like "logistics," "occupational safety," "product research," and "stock control."
When it comes to education, materials branch chiefs tend to earn lower degree levels compared to materials development engineers. In fact, they're 6.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Materials development engineer vs. Ceramic research engineer
Even though a few skill sets overlap between materials development engineers and ceramic research engineers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a materials development engineer might have more use for skills like "quality standards," "mechanical properties," "material suppliers," and "test methods." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of ceramic research engineers require skills like "material costs," "quality checks," "military aircraft," and "msds. "
In general, ceramic research engineers hold lower degree levels compared to materials development engineers. Ceramic research engineers are 7.4% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 2.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of materials development engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
