Plastics Applications Development Engineer

Overview

When Alfred Fain founded a small Rhode Island tire store in 1924, at the time no one could have predicted how Teknor Apex would become an international custom compounder sought out by companies around the world. After a nearly hundred-year journey that's carried us through acquisitions and expansion, we now have nine U.S. locations, as well as operations in Belgium, Singapore, Germany, and China.

Throughout this global expansion Teknor has remained a privately held company, and today Fain's grandson sits at the helm, maintaining the family's tradition of fostering deep employee and customer relationships. These relationships are what allow us-together-to deliver customized compound solutions and help our customer's create better products.

"Manufacturing is a team sport, and we work together to achieve our goals." ~Jon Fain

Summary

The Application Development Engineer plays a hands-on role in turning technical ideas into commercial results. This role partners closely with R&D, Sales, Marketing, and customers to support product development, improve application performance, and help move new opportunities from concept to implementation. Success in this role comes from combining technical problem-solving with strong collaboration, clear communication, and disciplined execution. The Application Development Engineer contributes directly to business growth by supporting customer needs, improving processes, generating technical insights, and helping teams make informed decisions. This role also helps strengthen customer confidence through responsive technical support, quality investigation, and practical solutions that deliver measurable impact.

Responsibilities

• Partner with senior Application Development and R&D teams to identify new business opportunities, evaluate applications, and support technical development programs.
• Translate customer requirements into product specifications and support technical approvals to advance commercial opportunities.
• Support process, application, and product improvements that strengthen operational efficiency and business growth.
• Plan and execute application development and customer support initiatives that improve product performance and customer outcomes.
• Provide technical expertise, processing data, and application insights to support Marketing, Sales, and customer initiatives.
• Investigate customer complaints, collaborate across functions to identify root causes, and recommend corrective actions that improve customer satisfaction and product performance.
• Travel to customer sites, manufacturing locations, and technical meetings to support application development, troubleshooting, testing, and customer engagement.
• Coordinate lab and quality control testing activities and support the development of improved testing methods and technical capabilities.
• Deliver technical training for customers and commercial teams to strengthen processing knowledge and application performance.
• Maintain accurate and timely technical documentation, including reports, project plans, training materials, and progress updates, to preserve and share critical knowledge globally.
• Utilize business and project management systems, including M3 ERP, Uncountable lab management, and Salesforce tools, to manage projects and maintain visibility into work activities.
• Build strong internal and external technical relationships to support collaboration, problem-solving, and innovation.
• Maintain safe work practices, identify potential hazards, and contribute to a culture of accountability and continuous safety improvement.

Skills

• Foundational knowledge of injection molding and extrusion technologies, including the ability to troubleshoot processing issues and understand market needs within the plastics industry.
• Familiarity with polymer systems, compounds, and physical testing methods used to evaluate material and product performance.
• Working knowledge of tool design, part design, and design simulation tools, including computer-aided design (CAD) and finite element analysis (FEA).
• Basic understanding of quality systems, testing standards, and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Strong communication and presentation skills with the ability to share technical information clearly across teams and customer groups.
• Demonstrated collaboration and interpersonal skills, with a commitment to Teknor Apex values including Respect, Integrity, Safety, Partnership, Innovation, Sustainability, and Accountability.
• Self-motivated learner with the ability to build technical capability through hands-on experience with extrusion and molding processes.
• Strong organizational and prioritization skills with the ability to manage work independently, stay focused, and deliver results on schedule.
• Creative and analytical problem-solving skills with the ability to apply technical knowledge to complex challenges and translate insights into practical, market-driven solutions.

Experiences

• Relevant work experience of 0 to 5 years.

Education

• Bachelor's degree educational level in Polymer Science, Polymer Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to safely and successfully perform the essential job functions consistent with the ADA, FMLA and other federal, state and local standards, including meeting qualitative and/or quantitative productivity standards.
• Must be able to lift and carry up to 15 lbs.
• Must be able to talk, listen and speak clearly on telephone.

This description is a summary of principal responsibilities and is not intended to include all duties that may be assigned.

Teknor Apex is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any protected status under state or federal laws. Must be 18 years of age or older to work at Teknor Apex.