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 2 Materials Development Engineer job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 74 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 $82,578.

State

The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $82,578.

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 $76,689.

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	2.7%
Bachelor's Degree	72.97%
Master's Degree	52.7%
Doctoral Degree	17.57%
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	11.11%
3 to 5 years	73.33%
6 to 8 years	4.44%
9+ years	11.11%

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 (52.7%)
Research (31.08%)
Management (31.08%)
Problem Solving (24.32%)
Innovation (22.97%)
Self-Motivation (17.57%)
Writing (16.22%)
Organizational Skills (13.51%)
Mathematics (13.51%)
Detail Oriented (13.51%)

Defining Skills

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

Materials Engineering (25.71%)
Chemistry (27.14%)
Materials Science (34.29%)
Supply Chain (21.43%)
New Product Development (34.29%)
Chemical Engineering (25.71%)

Necessary Skills

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

Purchasing (7.14%)
Test Data (14.29%)
Technical Support (7.14%)
Project Portfolio Management (8.57%)
Marketing (10%)
Material Characterization (10%)
Standard Operating Procedure (7.14%)
Cable Television (7.14%)
Research And Development (15.71%)
Procurement (8.57%)
Manufacturing Processes (10%)
Novel Materials (15.71%)
Life Cycle Assessment (8.57%)
Technical Leadership (8.57%)
Data Analysis (14.29%)
Plastic Materials (7.14%)
Composite Materials (8.57%)
Statistical Methods (8.57%)
Supplier Relationship Management (7.14%)
Project Management (14.29%)
Textiles (12.86%)
Materials Processing (7.14%)
Mechanical Engineering (10%)
Material Selection (7.14%)
Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) (12.86%)
Production Process (7.14%)
Search Engine Marketing (14.29%)
Product Design (12.86%)
Experimental Design (14.29%)
Physics (15.71%)
Commercialization (10%)

Salary Boosting Skills

A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed.

Chemistry (67.86%)
Chemical Engineering (64.29%)

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
Materials Engineer
Principal Engineer
Development Engineering Intern
Cellular Technician
Level Developer
Project Development Engineer
Polymer Engineer
Materials and Process Engineer

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 (8)
Leviton Manufacturing Company Incorporated (6)
Big River Steel (4)
Terrapower (3)
Rscc Wire & Cable (3)
3D Systems (3)
Apple (3)
Crocs (3)
CTS International (2)
Tenneco (2)

North Carolina

Oerlikon (1)
Owens Corning (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