Lead Materials Engineer

Lead product materials engineering at New Balance in a hybrid role with the Inline Materials team. You will partner with the Product Creation team across all categories, planning, driving, and validating new product and material developments from early concept through commercial-ready execution. The role emphasizes technical leadership, collaboration with suppliers, and a strong focus on delivering solutions that support both consumer expectations and corporate sustainability goals.

Location: Lawrence, MA (hybrid) • Salary: USD 117,400 - 186,600 per yearly • Experience: 9+ years • Education: MS or equivalent

What you’ll do

• Provide technical and commercial consultancy to New Balance footwear GBU’s throughout the product creation cycle, including attendance at product briefs and design reviews, supplier recommendations, material data integrity oversight, and troubleshooting material issues or failures using prototyping and production-phase learnings.
• Build consumer and culture knowledge and apply it to product creation decisions.
• Identify opportunities to partner with materials suppliers to develop and validate new sustainable materials and processes, and deliver technical solutions for material palettes and custom materials aligned to NB corporate sustainability goals.
• Lead validation of final products and create material specifications to support commercialization and meet consumer expectations.
• Apply deep knowledge of machinery and processing methods for knitted, woven, non-woven, leather, and synthetic materials, including yarn manufacture and coloration methods, to drive novel product and material advances.
• Drive improvement, global alignment, and rollout of category best practices.
• Own project planning with real-time priority adjustments, communicate progress and timeline changes, identify risks, and build contingency plans.
• Run efficient, well-structured meetings by sharing an agenda in advance, arriving prepared with a point of view, setting appropriate duration, managing timelines, capturing and sharing meeting minutes.
• Move projects forward with creative solutions to meet challenging timelines.
• Deliver clear written communication supported by appropriate visuals to the right audiences.
• Develop strong connections across the global footwear business and leverage those relationships to remove barriers and improve product and process outcomes.

What you bring

• MS or equivalent experience in Textile Engineering, Materials Engineering, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Polymer Chemistry, or Textile Chemistry.
• 9+ years of professional experience, with at least 5 years in material research and/or development.
• In-depth knowledge of the infrastructure and processes supporting global manufacturing, including material development and testing, technical evaluation, the product development calendar, and materials engineering.
• Excellent computer skills, including PowerPoint, Excel, SharePoint, Smartsheets, and Adobe Illustrator.
• Experience with material research and development, global sourcing, and commercialization of knits, wovens, print, dye, wash, and finish.
• Experience moving ideas to concepts and concepts to commercial products, including developing new tools, equipment, processes, and standards with machine manufacturers and material suppliers.
• Strong analytical approach to problem-solving, with excellent verbal and written communication, organization, and multi-tasking skills.
• Ability and willingness to work in a team-oriented, creative environment.
• Ability and willingness to balance in-person and remote work to fit New Ways of Working.
• Some domestic and international travel may be required.

Flexible work schedule

• In office three days per week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday).
• Work from Anywhere (WFA) for four weeks per calendar year.

Benefits

• Three options for medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Life insurance
• 401K
• Online learning and development courses
• Tuition reimbursement
• $100 monthly student loan support
• Various mentorship programs
• Yearly $1,000 lifestyle reimbursement
• 4 weeks of vacations
• 12 holidays
• Generous parental leave
• Temporary associates: three options for medical insurance, dental and vision insurance, and an associate discount
• Part time associates: 401k, short term disability, a yearly $300 lifestyle reimbursement and an associate discount