Senior Principal Polymer Scientist, R&D

How you will make an impact:

We are looking for a strong candidate with a history of break-through innovations in polymeric biomaterials used for medical devices application and is passionate about solving customer and patient unmet needs.

• Serve as an in-house expert for polymers and coatings supporting the development of new applications to enable product development teams to create innovative break-through therapies.

• Develop and carry out hands-on polymer processing techniques such as extrusion, injection molding, lamination, coating, and surface modification.

• Conduct material characterization using various analytical techniques, interpret results and develop novel solutions for product unmet needs. 

• Consult in polymer selection for design applications keeping in mind effect of sterilization techniques on material properties.

• Maintain an ongoing search for new polymeric materials/ technologies which can be used for performance improvements and provide all necessary polymeric materials support for the development of new products starting with material identification/selection based on product requirements, material selection, developing processing parameters, test method development, troubleshooting for refinement of existing products, and partner with Global Supply Chain in vendor selection.

• Build collaborative partnerships with R&D teams across Edwards and convert product unmet needs into viable, manufacturable solutions.

• Initiate and lead external collaborations to develop novel materials and technologies.

• Guide and mentor engineers/scientists on new and emerging technologies and participate on multi-disciplinary teams to analyze and solve complex technical challenges.

• Prepare concise written reports of analysis and conclusions.

• Present results of research and development activities to business unit leaders and senior management.

What you'll need (Required):

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or Scientific field with a minimum of 8 years of experience, including either industry or industry/education -OR- Master's Degree or equivalent in Engineering or Scientific field with a minimum of 7 years of experience, including either industry or industry/education -OR- Doctorate Engineering or Scientific field with a minimum of 4 years of experience, including either industry or industry/education (Degrees in Polymer Science, Polymer Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Biomedical engineering, or related field strongly preferred)

• Deep fundamental knowledge of Polymer Science with strong expertise and hands-on experience in polymer processing, testing, and characterization (mechanical, topographical, chemical, thermal, and rheological properties).

• Knowledge and experience of using of Polymer Structure-Property Relationship for problem solving

• Experience in converting polymers and/or coatings from ideas to bench top prototypes to commercial applications

What else we look for (Preferred):

• Experience in development of polymer-based technologies for medical devices or combination products (Class II and Class III products)

• Knowledge of surface modification techniques and expertise in surface modification of polymers for medical device applications

• Experience with bench-top extrusion or molding

• Good understanding of effects of various sterilization modalities (gamma, e-beam, ETO, Steam etc.) on polymeric materials.

• A good understanding of polymer biocompatibility and related international guidance and standards is highly desired in order select optimal materials for the given application.

• Demonstrated ability to work under minimum supervision in a fast-paced team environment.

• Requires strong organizational skills and ability to manage several projects simultaneously.

• Proven expertise in usage of MS Office Suite

• Excellent documentation and communication skills and interpersonal relationship skills including negotiating and relationship management skills

• Ability to translate complex and technical information to all levels of the organizations

• Recognized as an expert in own area within the organization while applying broad-based technical expertise and has full knowledge of