PhD Management Track

McMaster-Carr is a trusted e-commerce company that keeps industry in motion. Every day, hundreds of thousands of customers turn to our website, app, or catalog to find the parts they need and get them fast—so they can solve problems, avoid downtime, and keep critical operations running smoothly.

We serve industries that touch nearly every part of daily life: aerospace, agriculture, entertainment, marine, medical, automotive, food and beverage, and more. Our work may happen behind the scenes, but its impact is everywhere.

Our customers don’t just rely on us to maintain what matters—they also look to us to help them imagine what’s next. Through tools like 3D CAD models, intuitive search, and a constantly evolving product offering, we help people discover new solutions, iterate on ideas, and improve the way they work.

From day one, you’ll take ownership of meaningful work that moves our business forward. The Management Track is not a rotational development program—it’s more hands-on, more immersive, and more impactful.

You’ll take on a wide range of challenges. Some will call for creative, original ideas; others will require clever, practical improvements to what already works. You’ll learn by doing, supported by sharp teammates and mentors who want to help you elevate your contributions. You’ll work across functions, see how the business fits together, and develop the kind of judgment, communication, and leadership skills that set the foundation for long-term impact.

We welcome PhD students from any major or field of study. What matters most is how you make thoughtful decisions, how you push boundaries, and your drive to learn and grow.

As part of our management team, you will do work that matters. Over time, you’ll grow into a leader who brings out the best in others and drives results across the company. Your work might include:

• →Using AI to improve how we work
  Apply large language models to automate routine tasks, uncover insights in customer feedback, or build tools that help our writers create better product descriptions more quickly.
• →Making ordering easier for customers
  Streamline the order-to-payment process to eliminate barriers, reduce manual steps, and make doing business with us more seamless.
• →Improving distribution through automation
  Design and implement automation that helps our warehouses operate more efficiently and deliver products to customers faster and more accurately.
• →Leading cross-functional initiatives
  Collaborate with teams in tech, customer service, and distribution. You’ll help define the problem, align people around a solution, and make sure the changes stick.
• →Fixing operational pain points
  Identify recurring issues—like damaged products or order delays—and lead projects to solve the underlying problems.
• →Owning and growing a product category
  Decide what we sell, how we present it, and how we grow it. Use customer insights, data, and industry trends to shape our offering and drive growth.
• →Strengthening supplier relationships
  Evaluate suppliers to ensure great quality, pricing, and delivery. Help improve product availability and reduce risk for customers and for us.
• →Launching new digital features
  Work with our tech teams to design and test features that help customers search, navigate, and buy more effectively.

You are curious, driven, and eager to make an impact. You ask thoughtful questions, enjoy solving tough problems, and bring out the best in the people around you. You know that strong collaboration isn’t just about teamwork—it’s about creating the conditions for others to contribute fully, challenge ideas constructively, and move the work forward together.

• Informal and formal mentorship
• Employee resource groups
• 100% tuition reimbursement for future degrees

• Medical, dental, pharmacy, and vision plans with no monthly premiums
• Inclusive, all-gender benefits

• Paid time off for vacation and personal time

• Paid parental leave for all new parents
• Adoption and surrogacy assistance
• First-time home buyer assistance
• Industry leading company-funded retirement accounts

#BI-DNI

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and dedicated to providing employees a workplace with reasonable accommodations and free of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. At McMaster-Carr, we do not make employment decisions based on age, ethnicity, citizenship status, military status, gender identity and expression, race, religion, disability status, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected group.

This position is not eligible for work authorization sponsorship by McMaster-Carr.

We may collect professional, education and employment-related data, and any assessments made throughout the recruiting process, to evaluate candidacy for employment. To communicate with job applicants, we may collect applicant names, contact information, and other personal identifiers, including those outlined in the California customer records statute. Through voluntary disclosure, we may also collect protected classifications under federal or California law (e.g., race, gender, etc.). For additional details about the personal information we collect and its uses, please click here.