Materials Development Engineer

What Does a Professional in this Career Do?

A Materials Development Engineer researches and develops materials used in a range of industrial products and processes. Identifies new or different combinations of materials to improve product performance and durability; develops and tests materials engineering and production processes.

Job Outlook

There were 5 Materials Development Engineer job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 89 in the United States.

In combination with other careers in the Materials Engineer industry, which includes the Materials Development Engineer career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2015:

Salary

Many new Materials Development Engineer jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.

National

The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $94,961.

State

The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $94,961.

Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Materials Development Engineer postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $88,829.

Education and Experience

Posted Materials Development Engineer jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.

Education Level	Percentage
Associate's Degree	0%
Bachelor's Degree	82.02%
Master's Degree	35.96%
Doctoral Degree	15.73%
Other	0%

Posted Materials Development Engineer jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.

Years of Experience	Percentage
0 to 2 years	24.14%
3 to 5 years	65.52%
6 to 8 years	6.9%
9+ years	3.45%

Skills

Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Materials Development Engineer positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.

Baseline Skills

A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.

Communication (43.82%)
Research (42.7%)
Innovation (28.09%)
Management (26.97%)
Problem Solving (26.97%)
Detail Oriented (25.84%)
Self-Motivation (21.35%)
Verbal Communication Skills (20.22%)
Microsoft Office (19.1%)
Writing (19.1%)

Defining Skills

A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.

Materials Science (40.7%)
Textiles (25.58%)
Continuous Improvement Process (4.65%)
Chemical Engineering (26.74%)
Chemistry (40.7%)
Project Management (18.6%)
Product Design (20.93%)
Polymer Chemistry (16.28%)
New Product Development (39.53%)
Research And Development (25.58%)

Necessary Skills

A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.

Novel Materials (9.3%)
Epitaxy (8.14%)
Laboratory Equipment (9.3%)
Supply Chain (13.95%)
Materials Engineering (15.12%)
Data Analysis (15.12%)
Ceramic Materials (5.81%)
Procurement (5.81%)
Commercialization (15.12%)
Composite Materials (9.3%)
Experimental Design (18.6%)
Experimentation (6.98%)
Knitting (8.14%)
Microwaves (8.14%)
Textile Science (12.79%)
Manufacturing Processes (17.44%)
Metallurgy (5.81%)
Product Data Management (6.98%)
Dyeing (8.14%)
Material Selection (12.79%)
Physics (18.6%)
Product Management (4.65%)
Atomic Force Microscopy (8.14%)
Search Engine Marketing (13.95%)
Radio Frequency (8.14%)
Weaving (8.14%)
Technological Change (6.98%)
Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (4.65%)
Ultra-High Vacuum (6.98%)
Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (8.14%)
Research Funding (6.98%)
Process Development (12.79%)
Merchandising (12.79%)
Microelectronics (5.81%)
Semiconductor Device (5.81%)
Mechanical Engineering (12.79%)
Molecular Beam (8.14%)
Test Data (8.14%)
Process Improvement (5.81%)
Extrusion (6.98%)
Effective Communication (5.81%)
Industry Standards (4.65%)

Alternative Job Titles

Sometimes employers post jobs with Materials Development Engineer skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:

Material Development Engineer
Material Developer
Development Engineering Intern
Project Development Engineer
Lead Research and Development Engineer
Materials Associate
Footwear Developer
Summer Intern
Materials Assistant
Raw Materials Manager

Similar Occupations

If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.

Common Employers

Here are the employers that have posted the most Materials Development Engineer jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.

United States

Raytheon Technologies (7)
Corning (6)
3D Systems (4)
Cella (3)
Caterpillar (3)
Sunrise Systems (3)
Rscc Wire & Cable (3)
Zumiez (3)
American Honda Motor Company (3)
Big River Steel (2)

North Carolina

Corning (4)
Oerlikon (1)

NC State Programs Relevant to this Career

If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!

All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.

Engineering