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Senior materials engineer skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

6 min read

Quoted experts

Jonathan Puthoff,

Charles Purdum

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical senior materials engineer skills. We ranked the top skills for senior materials engineers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 9.9% of senior materials engineer resumes contained failure analysis as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a senior materials engineer needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 senior materials engineer skills for your resume and career

1. Failure Analysis

Failure Analysis is a step-by-step process of determining the reason for a particular machine or equipment failure by way of checking, identification, and examination. It means conducting a test within the system and perform a maintenance check that leads you to a conclusion. A failure analysis takes place to prevent further damages.

Here's how senior materials engineers use failure analysis:

Implemented ISO and ASTM test methodologies, and developed internal methods of characterization and failure analysis for specific applications.
Carried out material characterization and failure analysis of exhausted catalyst beds.

2. Aerospace

Aerospace refers to the physical science focusing on designing and developing, testing, and producing systems that aid in navigation to space or traverse through the earth's atmospheric zone.

Here's how senior materials engineers use aerospace:

Conducted engineering tasks for aerospace flight hardware processing and refurbishment.
Developed new alloys for aerospace and transportation markets.

3. Project Management

Here's how senior materials engineers use project management:

Project management of a lighter weight fabric for evacuation slide applications.
Project management of all new product introductions.

4. Polymer

A polymer is a material containing large molecules made from several repeating subunits. There are two types of polymers, human-made like amber, wool, and hemp, and synthetic such as synthetic rubber, nylon, etc.

Here's how senior materials engineers use polymer:

Led the implementation of a standard Quality Operating System (QOS) for new Polymer and SMT suppliers.
MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS: Developed 3 level alternate polymer bump tube to reduce multiple bonding operations and reduce failures.

5. ASTM

Here's how senior materials engineers use astm:

Key participant in development of new ultrasonic test for nonmetallic inclusions within ASTM Bearing Steel Subcommittee A01.28.
Counseled the ASTM fire safety board in developing potential safety standards for home d cor products.

6. R

R is a free software environment and a language used by programmers for statistical computing. The R programming language is famously used for data analysis by data scientists.

Here's how senior materials engineers use r:

Worked with clients such as Nikon, Budweiser and toys R Us to develop their products, processes and make improvements.
Increased R factor from R-6 to R 30, translating to greater energy savings and roof integrity.

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7. Development Projects

Development Projects include all contracts, constructions, and projects that may develop an area for housing or commercial construction. These projects frequently require multiple departments to prepare the space for construction projects, including how the construction will take place, who will finance the project, and whether any refurbishments or renovations will be needed.

Here's how senior materials engineers use development projects:

Project Manager for several new product development projects including a new detector structure and a surface mount high voltage diode.
Participated in repeater and QuadET-Repeater product development projects for monitoring laboratory animals and in C40 and C10 biocompatibility studies,

8. Product Design

Product design can be described as a process of imagining, creating, and iterating products that solve user's problems and talk about the specific needs of users in the market. Product design is an engineering disciple and it is the basic design and idea that goes before the mass production of the product.

Here's how senior materials engineers use product design:

Assisted in new product design efforts.
Introduced new product designs to manufacturing, improved production yields, supported Marketing & Sales on product enhancements and customer applications/issues.

9. Technical Support

Technical support or tech support are the services provided by any hardware or software company to users. They help in solving the technical difficulties the customers face with their products or services. Moreover, the tech support employees maintain, manage, and repair the IT faults. They are also responsible for resolving the network problems, installing and configuring hardware and software.

Here's how senior materials engineers use technical support:

Handled material and coating testing and failure analyses to provide technical support for suppliers to resolve issues.
Provide technical supports to Production, Marketing, Sales, and Quality assurance.

10. ISO

Here's how senior materials engineers use iso:

Ensured compliance by performing 4 ISO audits per year.
Trained and served as an internal ISO auditor.

11. Sigma

In Greek alphabets, sigma is the 18th letter that means "to sum up". In statistics, the lower case symbol of sigma is the unit of measurement for standard deviation which is used to assess the variability in a given set of data. While the upper case symbol is for summation notation means to add up all the given numbers in the data set.

Here's how senior materials engineers use sigma:

Applied Six Sigma statistical tools to optimize production parameters and validate designs.
Completed internal Six Sigma orange belt certification

12. FTIR

Here's how senior materials engineers use ftir:

Verified global compounds and helped identify unknown material through reverse engineering by testing physical properties and use of FTIR.
Investigated product failures using analytical testing tools such as FTIR, tensile, COF, and stereomicroscopy.

13. Cost Reduction

Here's how senior materials engineers use cost reduction:

Guided project to qualify post consumer regrind resin resulting in an annual cost reduction of $1.6M in non-critical applications.
Find and implement cost reduction measures in all aspect of warehouse transaction and activities.

14. NDT

Non-Destructive Testing, NDT, is a combination of different test techniques used individually or collectively to evaluate the integrity and properties of a material, component, system, or structure without permanently altering it. NDT is important for safe operation, as well as for quality control and lifetime evaluation of the system. It is used in industries such as aerospace, oil, and gas, nuclear, power generation, medical, rail, general manufacturing, etc.

Here's how senior materials engineers use ndt:

Well versed in NDT and evaluation, component integrity assessments and in service inspection.
Involved in NDT and evaluation and resolution of all NCR issues and write up.

15. Technical Reports

Technical reports are a type of document that is used to indicate either the progress, result, or process of scientific research or the state of problems occurring within such research. A technical report may also showcase the report's overall conclusion and may also include recommendations. This kind of report does not require a peer review and isn't published officially but distributed within the organizations where it was formed.

Here's how senior materials engineers use technical reports:

Write proposals and technical reports.
Served as in-house geotechnical engineering consultant for FDOT District 4 where I reviewed consultant geotechnical reports for accuracy and constructability.

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What skills help Senior Materials Engineers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on senior materials engineer resumes?

Jonathan Puthoff

Associate Professor, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

Collaboration and communication skills. I also think that students should graduate knowing at least one field-specific software design tool or package, as well as some evidence that they can learn more on the job. Finally, workplaces are more diverse in terms of the generations, ethnicities, and genders represented than they have been at any time in the past, so students who have a wide variety of out-of-classroom experiences (and presumably make more considerate colleagues) could do well to highlight those.

What senior materials engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Charles Purdum

Professor of Practice and Director of Industry Relations, Pennsylvania State University

Certification, certification, certifications! Lean or Six Sigma green belt (e.g., ASQ.com), project management (e.g., PMI.com), and leadership skills.

What technical skills for a senior materials engineer stand out to employers?

Tracy Farrell

Adjunct Instructor, Clarkson University

Technical skills that employers are seeking include "real" computer skills like Microsoft Office Suite tools, proper communication skills via email and website development and postings, developing proper document format that is appropriate to send to stakeholders (i.e., letter formatting, report writing, email formatting); strong communication skills that include speaking professionally and respectfully to stakeholders as well as writing professionally (i.e., making eye contact when speaking, proper handshake, respectful dialogue including questioning); project management - knowing how to organize work and develop a timeline that includes who will be responsible for what and follow through; data analysis - being able to not only present data in an organized and understandable manner; but, be able to interpret data correctly offering the justification behind what they are interpreting and why.

Respectfully, today's graduates do not understand that being able to text and use social media does not prepare them for "real" computer skills. Many students that I have in high school and in college do not have proper writing skills, document formatting skills, or document management skills to know how to save documents properly and where to save to.

Do you want to know more?

List of senior materials engineer skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a senior materials engineer resume and required skills for a senior materials engineer to have include:

Failure Analysis
Aerospace
Project Management
Polymer
ASTM
R
Development Projects
Product Design
Technical Support
ISO
Sigma
FTIR
Cost Reduction
NDT
Technical Reports

Material Specifications
Materials Selection
Lean Manufacturing
API
Destructive Testing
MRB
DSC
Asphalt
FDA
DOD
Process Improvement
Product Development
Process Control
Technical Issues
Titanium

Additive Manufacturing
Quality Issues
Supplier Quality
Extrusion
XRD
Tensile Testing
NASA
Cost Savings
DOE
SPC
Laser
Stainless Steel
NPI
Technical Specifications
Assembly Line

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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