Plastics, Materials & Sustainability Engineer

Plastics, Materials & Sustainability Engineer – Mid-Level to SeniorBlue Standard Inc.United States | Full-TimeAnticipated Start: Late November 2026Compensation: $120,000–$160,000+ depending on experience, plus benefits and equityAbout Blue Standard Inc.Blue Standard Inc. is a material science and advanced manufacturing company developing and commercializing next-generation materials and products designed to reduce reliance on conventional persistent plastics.With operations and technical partners across the United States and Europe, Blue Standard works across material development, injection molding, product engineering, manufacturing, sustainability, and commercialization.As we expand manufacturing into the United States, we are looking for an exceptional Plastics Engineer to become a key technical member of our organization and help build our U.S. manufacturing platform from the ground up.The OpportunityThis is not a traditional plastics engineering position.We are looking for a mid-level to senior engineer who wants to combine hands-on manufacturing engineering with material science, process development, quality systems, R&D, sustainability, testing, regulatory work, and commercialization.A major initial responsibility will be transferring manufacturing and process knowledge from Blue Standard's established European production operations into our developing U.S. manufacturing platform.The selected engineer will spend approximately 1 to 2 months working directly with our production and technical teams in Austria and Hungary, with international travel, accommodations, and reasonable business expenses paid by Blue Standard.The objective is to deeply understand our materials, processing methods, tooling, equipment, quality systems, and manufacturing know-how—and then help us implement, improve, document, and scale those systems in the United States.This role will maintain an ongoing technical relationship with our European engineering and production teams. We are looking for someone who will not simply replicate existing processes, but continually ideate, experiment, improve, and optimize them.What You'll Work OnU.S. Manufacturing & Process EngineeringYou will play a central role in developing Blue Standard's U.S. production capabilities, including:Developing and implementing production systems and manufacturing processesSupporting installation, commissioning, and optimization of injection molding equipmentTranslating European manufacturing processes into scalable U.S. production systemsDeveloping standard operating procedures and technical documentationOptimizing cycle times, yields, consistency, material utilization, and production efficiencyTroubleshooting molding, tooling, material, and equipment issuesSupporting tooling development and design-for-manufacturing reviewsEvaluating automation and manufacturing-efficiency opportunitiesDeveloping production metrics and process-control systemsWorking closely with European technical teams on continuous process improvementQuality SystemsYou will help build the quality infrastructure required to support a growing advanced-manufacturing organization, including:Quality-control and quality-assurance systemsIncoming raw-material specificationsIn-process quality controlsFinished-product testing and inspectionProduction tolerances and acceptance criteriaProcess documentationTraceability systemsCorrective and preventive action proceduresCustomer-specific quality requirementsMaterials, Testing, Certification & RegulatoryThis role will become an important internal technical resource for Blue Standard's growing materials platform.Responsibilities will include:Developing third-party testing protocols for materials and finished productsCoordinating testing with qualified external laboratoriesManaging relationships with testing and certification organizationsSupporting material and product certificationsMaintaining technical and regulatory documentationEvaluating applicable U.S. and international regulatory requirementsDeveloping testing programs for new materials and applicationsSupporting technical responses to customers and regulatory organizationsLCA & SustainabilityYou will also help expand Blue Standard's capabilities around environmental performance and sustainability measurement.This may include:Supporting development and maintenance of Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs)Working with third-party LCA specialistsCollecting and validating manufacturing, energy, transportation, and material dataSupporting carbon-footprint analysisDeveloping technical support for environmental and sustainability claimsHelping customers understand the environmental implications of material and manufacturing choicesResearch & DevelopmentR&D will be an important component of the position.You will work with internal and external technical teams to:Evaluate new materials and formulationsImprove existing materialsDevelop new manufacturing processesTest processing parametersInvestigate material and product performanceDevelop new applicationsImprove manufacturability and production efficiencySupport cost-reduction initiativesMove successful R&D projects from laboratory and pilot work into commercial productionUniversities & Research PartnershipsBlue Standard intends to build meaningful relationships with universities and research institutions in the United States.The Plastics Engineer will help:Identify leading polymer, plastics, material science, sustainability, and manufacturing laboratoriesEstablish university research relationshipsCoordinate external testing and research programsDevelop sponsored research opportunitiesWork with professors, researchers, laboratories, and technical institutionsDevelop potential internship and engineering-talent pipelinesGrants & Government ProgramsThe position will also support Blue Standard's participation in relevant government and non-dilutive funding programs.This may include:Identifying federal and state grant opportunitiesWriting and supporting technical sections of grant applicationsDeveloping technical project scopesProviding engineering and manufacturing dataSupporting applications involving advanced manufacturing, sustainable materials, domestic production, material science, and circular-economy technologiesCoordinating with outside grant and government-program specialistsCustomer Technical & Sustainability SupportAs our materials platform expands, our customers increasingly rely on Blue Standard for technical guidance.You may participate directly with customers on:Material selectionProduct developmentManufacturing feasibilityDesign for manufacturingTesting and certificationSustainability strategyMaterial performanceManufacturing troubleshootingCommercializationThis is a technical and consultative responsibility rather than a traditional sales role.European Training & International CollaborationInternational collaboration is an important part of this position.The selected engineer should be comfortable spending approximately 1 to 2 months in Austria and Hungary during the initial development of the role.Blue Standard will cover reasonable and approved expenses associated with required international business travel.Following the initial training period, the engineer will maintain regular communication and technical collaboration with our European production and R&D teams.International travel will remain an ongoing component of the position as appropriate.U.S. Location & Future RelocationThe position will initially be U.S.-based, with our U.S. production operation expected to be located in the North East Region / NY/NJ area.Who We're Looking ForWe are interested in engineers with backgrounds in:Plastics EngineeringPolymer EngineeringMaterials Science or Materials EngineeringMechanical Engineering with significant plastics experienceChemical Engineering with significant polymer/process experienceManufacturing or Process Engineering focused on plasticsIdeal candidates will have meaningful hands-on experience with injection molding and plastics processing.Experience in several of the following areas is strongly preferred:Injection molding process developmentPolymer and material behaviorMold and tooling developmentProcess troubleshootingManufacturing scale-upProduction equipment commissioningQuality systemsDesign for manufacturingMaterial testingProduct commercializationSustainable or bio-based materialsR&D and new-material developmentTechnical documentationRegulatory or certification programsMost importantly, we are looking for someone who is technically curious, hands-on, comfortable working across disciplines, and interested in helping build—not simply operate—an advanced manufacturing organization.Compensation & BenefitsCompensation will depend on experience and the scope of the final role.Expected base salary: $100,000–$160,000+ / based on experienceThe overall compensation package is expected to include:Competitive base salaryPerformance-based bonus opportunityEquity participationEmployee benefits15 days paid time offCompany holidays401(k) with 100% Company match up to 3% of salary, subject to plan termsCompany-paid required international business travelReasonable future relocation assistanceWhy Blue Standard?This is an opportunity to join Blue Standard at a point where an engineer can have a significant influence on how our technical and manufacturing organization is built.You will have the opportunity to work across:Material Science | R&D | Injection Molding | Manufacturing | Quality | Sustainability | Regulatory | Testing | University Research | CommercializationYou will work directly with company leadership, production teams, researchers, external laboratories, customers, and international manufacturing partners.Blue Standard Inc. is an equal opportunity employer.