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Principal Polymer Processing Engineer
Injection Molding
Location: Largo, FL (Remote)
Department: Engineering / Operations
Job Category: Engineering
Career Track: Individual Contributor
Job Profile: Principal Engineer
Reports To: Sr. Director Advanced Manufacturing Engineering
FLSA Status: Exempt
**This position is not eligible for employer-based sponsorship***
Position Summary
The Principal Polymer Processing Engineer is a recognized technical expert responsible for advancing injection molding capabilities, polymer processing technologies, and manufacturing performance across CONMED . This role provides technical leadership for the plastic parts design geometry for injection molding manufacturability; for new injection molds design conceptualization, manufacturing and performance testing; for the plastic injection molding cell equipment selection and performance testing; for the plastic injection molding process optimization and qualification; and for the sustaining support of the plastic injection molding process and mold’s production life cycle maintenance for plastic parts used to manufacture medical devices and components. Working across Engineering, Operations, Quality, R&D, Supply Chain, and external partners, the Principal Polymer Processing Engineer leads highly complex technical initiatives from concept through commercialization and ongoing production. The individual serves as a trusted technical advisor, applying advanced engineering judgment to solve critical processing challenges; establishing technical standards; reducing manufacturing risk; and improving product quality, cost, capacity and reliability.
This is an individual-contributor position that leads through technical expertise, influence, and cross-functional collaboration rather than direct people management.
Key Responsibilities
Technical Leadership and Process Development
Serve as a Technical Advisor to Sourcing and Quality in custom molders facilities; molding cells equipment; injection molding process optimization and troubleshooting; mold design and manufacturing; mold preventive maintenance, troubleshooting and tooling engineering; metrology and MSA; and quality engineering technical capacities & capabilities assessment, and periodic audits.
Serve as a Subject Matter Expert in part design conceptualization for injection molding manufacturability; injection molding process optimization; injection molding process engineering (troubleshooting); mold design concept optimization; and mold tooling engineering (troubleshooting).
Lead the development, optimization, qualification and validation of complex injection molding processes, equipment, molds and supporting technologies.
Establish robust processing strategies based on polymer science, material characteristics, part design, mold design, equipment capability, and intended product requirements.
Apply scientific molding principles and structured experimentation to define processing windows and ensure repeatable, capable, and controlled manufacturing processes.
Provide technical direction for challenging molding applications involving tight tolerances, complex geometries, engineered resins, high-performance polymers, multi-material components, insert molding, overmolding, or other specialized processes.
Evaluate emerging polymer-processing technologies and recommend investments that support product innovation, manufacturing capability, capacity, quality, and long-term business needs.
Develop and maintain technical standards, engineering practices, design guidelines, specifications, and process-development methodologies.
Translate complex technical information into clear recommendations for engineering, operations, and business leadership.
New Product and Technology Development
Partner with R&D, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Regulatory, Operations, and Supply Chain to support new product development and product-transfer activities.
Provide design-for-manufacturability guidance related to polymer selection, molded-part design geometry, tooling strategy, tolerances, gating, cooling, shrinkage, warpage, and process capability.
Lead or provide technical oversight for mold-flow analysis; tool design reviews; mold manufacturing and performance testing; process characterization; equipment selection and performance testing; and manufacturing-readiness assessments.
Identify technical risks early in the development process and establish appropriate mitigation plans.
Lead the transition of injection-molded products and processes from development through validation, commercialization, and sustained production.
Define critical process parameters and support the development of appropriate inspection, monitoring, and control strategies.
Ensure that technical decisions balance product performance, patient and user needs, compliance, manufacturability, cost, capacity, and business continuity.
Process Validation and Compliance
Provide technical leadership for mold bench assembly and functional performance assessment; mold installation qualification; molding cell equipment assessment and performance testing; mold dry cycling, mold first out-of-tool and mold functional performance testing; molding process characterization and optimization; plastic forming steel compliance assessment and, if applicable , tweaking (grooming); mold operational qualification; and mold performance qualification activities.
Develop or approve technical protocols, reports, engineering studies, acceptance criteria, statistical analyses, and supporting documentation.
Ensure polymer-processing activities comply with applicable quality-system requirements, engineering standards, regulatory expectations, and internal procedures.
Support risk-management activities, including process FMEAs, design FMEAs, control plans, process-risk assessments, and technical investigations.
Partner with Quality Engineering to establish effective process controls and ensure sustained process capability.
Provide technical support during internal audits, external audits, regulatory inspections, and customer inquiries, as needed.
Manufacturing and Business Performance
Lead the resolution of complex or recurring molding process and/or tooling issues affecting safety, quality, delivery, capacity, cost, or customer service.
Apply structured problem-solving methods and advanced data analysis to identify root causes and implement sustainable corrective actions.
Improve manufacturing performance through cycle-time reduction, scrap reduction, yield improvement, process-capability improvement, automation, tooling optimization, and material utilization.
Develop solutions that increase process reliability, reduce variation, and improve overall equipment and operational effectiveness.
Assess existing molding equipment, auxiliary systems, tooling, and processes to identify capability gaps, obsolescence risks, and improvement opportunities.
Support capital-equipment selection, technical justification, supplier evaluation, installation, qualification, and production implementation.
Provide technical leadership for design changes, material changes, product transfers, process transfers, supplier transitions, capacity expansion, and manufacturing-network initiatives.
Develop business cases and recommendations supported by technical evidence, risk assessment, financial impact, and implementation requirements.
Technical Influence and Collaboration
Act as a technical consultant to engineering teams, operations leaders, project teams, and senior leadership.
Lead cross-functional technical initiatives that may span multiple products, departments, suppliers, or manufacturing locations.
Influence decisions where technical complexity, business risk, or organizational impact is significant.
Build effective partnerships with equipment manufacturers, toolmakers, resin suppliers, contract manufacturers, consultants, and other external technical resources.
Represent manufacturing and polymer-processing considerations in product, technology, and business-planning discussions.
Facilitate technical reviews and ensure decisions, actions, risks, and accountabilities are clearly documented.
Communicate effectively with technical and nontechnical audiences at all levels of the organization.
Knowledge Development and Mentoring
Mentor and provide technical guidance to engineers, technicians, molders, and other manufacturing professionals.
Build organizational capability by sharing specialized knowledge, developing technical training, and establishing repeatable engineering methods.
Review and provide guidance on the technical work of other engineers without serving as their direct manager.
Maintain current knowledge of developments in polymer science, molding technology, manufacturing systems, medical-device requirements, and industry best practices.
Contribute to the development of CONMED ’s long-term polymer-processing and manufacturing-technology roadmap.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Polymer Engineering, Plastics Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Science, or closely related technical discipline.
Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible engineering experience involving injection molding, polymer processing, plastics manufacturing, tooling, or closely related manufacturing technologies.
2 years of experience applying technical knowledge and expertise troubleshooting injection molded parts noncompliance opportunities to determine whether root cause is part design geometry, raw material, raw material handling, molding process, mold steel dimensions, mold steel wear, mold design conceptualization, molding cell selection, molding cell functional performance, part’s inspection method, inspection fixture, inspection equipment, parts conveying, parts packaging design, parts storing and/or part’s transit related.
2 years of experience leading complex technical projects and influencing decisions across multiple functions. Experience developing or reviewing engineering protocols, validation documents, technical reports, specifications, risk assessments, and process documentation.
Preferred Qualifications
Master’s degree or doctorate in Polymer Engineering, Plastics Engineering, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related discipline.
Experience in a regulated medical-device, pharmaceutical, life-sciences, automotive, aerospace, or similarly controlled manufacturing environment.
Experience with injection molding of medical-device components or other high-precision, high-reliability products.
Working knowledge of applicable FDA quality-system requirements, ISO 13485, ISO 14971, good manufacturing practices, and process-validation expectations.
Expertise in one or more specialized processes, such as insert molding, overmolding, micro-molding, multi-shot molding, silicone molding, high-temperature materials, or bio-compatible polymers.
Experience with mold-flow simulation and analysis tools.
Experience with automation, in-mold sensing, process-monitoring systems, machine connectivity, or advanced manufacturing controls.
Lean, Six Sigma, or structured problem-solving certification.
Experience supporting manufacturing transfers, supplier development, capacity expansion, or global operations.
Experience working with toolmakers, resin suppliers, equipment manufacturers, and contract manufacturers.
Experience with mold design conceptualization, mold manufacturing, mold functional performance testing and mold predictive and preventive maintenance programs.
Demonstrated expertise in injection molding process development, optimization, validation and troubleshooting assessment; and in mold design conceptualization, performance testing, plastic forming steel compliance, grooming activities, and troubleshooting assessment.
Advanced knowledge of thermoplastic materials, polymer behavior, resin handling, drying, rheology, shrinkage, warpage, degradation, and material-process interactions.
Demonstrated experience applying scientific molding principles, design of experiments, statistical analysis, process-capability methods, and structured root-cause analysis.
Demonstrated ability to independently define problems, evaluate technical alternatives, and deliver sustainable solutions to highly complex engineering challenges.
Strong written, verbal, presentation, and technical documentation skills.
**This position is not eligible for employer based sponsorship***
Disclosure as required by applicable law, the annual salary range for this position is $138,700 - $176,900. The actual compensation may vary based on geographic location, work experience, education and skill level. The salary range is CONMED ’s good faith belief at the time of this posting.
Colorado residents: In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.
Benefits:
CONMED offers a wide array of benefits to fit your unique needs. Visit our Benefits Page for more information.
Competitive compensation Excellent healthcare including medical, dental, vision and prescription coverage Short & long term disability plus life insurance -- cost paid fully by CONMED Retirement Savings Plan (401K) -- CONMED matches your contributions dollar for dollar, with the potential for up to 7% per pay period Employee Stock Purchase Plan -- allows stock purchases at discounted price Tuition assistance for undergraduate and graduate level courses Know someone at CONMED ? Have them submit you as a referral before applying for this position to be eligible for our Employee Referral Program incentives!
CONMED is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of any legally protected status or characteristic. Protected veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. The Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal Poster reaffirms this commitment.
Colorado Residents: In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.
If you feel you need a reasonable accommodation pursuant to the ADA, you are encouraged to contact us at 800-929-7176 option #5.