Senior Engineer, Materials Quality Engineering

We are seeking a dynamic Senior Engineer to join our Materials Quality Engineering (Supplier Quality) team supporting our regional supplier base and US manufacturing operations. In this role, the engineer will be responsible for assessing and managing quality performance, supplier risk, and capability for polyurethane foams, polymeric materials, and related formulated materials used in chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) polishing pads, including polyurethane raw materials, additives, and other critical foam formulation components.  

This position supports the Materials Solutions Division and the manufacturing plants in the United States while also working closely with global teammates. The ideal candidate will work with autonomy and sound engineering judgment to lead supplier development, drive continuous improvement, and maintain robust quality systems for critical polyurethane foam suppliers. The role requires strong collaboration with Commodity Management, Operations, R&D, and Customer Quality teams to ensure continuity of supply and rapid resolution of internal and customer issues related to polyurethane foam quality, variability, and contamination control. 

• Lead supplier quality activities for polyurethane foams used in CMP polishing pads, including polyurethane raw materials, additives, and critical foam formulation components. 

• Drive supplier performance improvement, including corrective actions, audits, process capability reviews, and polyurethane foam process/formulation assessments (mixing, reaction, foaming, curing, finishing, packaging, and contamination controls). 

• Support polyurethane foam qualifications, change management (MOC), and risk assessments for formulation changes, raw material changes, and supplier process changes. 

• Analyze polyurethane foam quality issues (density, hardness, thickness, pore or cell structure, voids, inclusions, dimensional stability, contamination, cure, and performance) and lead robust root cause investigations (8D, 5-Why, fishbone, etc.). 

• →Understand supplier polyurethane foam manufacturing processes (raw material preparation, mixing, reaction, foaming, molding or casting, curing, finishing, and packaging) and how variability impacts downstream CMP pad and customer performance. 

• →Develop and maintain polyurethane foam specifications, critical-to-quality requirements, certificates of analysis (COA) expectations, physical and analytical test methods, and quality documentation. 

• →Collaborate with polyurethane foam suppliers on process improvements, capability studies, control plans, sampling strategies, and advanced quality planning activities. 

• →Support continuous improvement initiatives to reduce lot-to-lot variation, improve yield, enhance reliability, and strengthen polyurethane foam and CMP pad performance. 

• →Understand continuous improvement methodologies, structured problemsolving techniques, SPC, and FMEA and apply them independently in role. 

• →Ability to analyze, synthesize, and summarize complex data sets to drive clear decision making and action. 

• Partner with Business Units, Procurement, R&D, and Operations to ensure continuity of supply for critical polyurethane foam raw materials and products. 

• Monitor key supplier metrics and provide visibility and escalation to cross-functional teams when needed. 

• Participate in Business Continuity Planning (BCP) and risk mitigation strategies for critical polyurethane foam suppliers and high-impact materials. 

• Train suppliers on key requirements and expectations, including Change Control and quality system standards. 

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Polymer Science/Engineering, Materials Science/Engineering, or related discipline. 

• Advanced degree optional; Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt strongly preferred. 

• Experience with supplier quality engineering for polyurethane foams, polymeric materials, formulated materials, elastomers, adhesives, or CMP pad materials strongly preferred. 

• 5-7 years experience in polyurethane foam manufacturing, polymer manufacturing, CMP pad manufacturing, semiconductor materials, or other high-tech manufacturing industries. 

• Working knowledge of polyurethane foam quality systems and controls, including formulation and cure control, physical property testing, contamination control, analytical method capability, SPC systems, PFMEA, and control plan development. 

• Proficiency with statistical analysis software (Minitab, JMP, SAS, Camline). 

• Strong project management, communication, and interpersonal skills. 

• Ability to work independently, lead projects, and collaborate with crossfunctional teams. 

• Ability to travel up to 10% domestically or internationally. Travel to local manufacturing plant required.