About Wolverine Advanced Materials

Wolverine Advanced Materials produces and sells performance-critical, specialty elastomer-coated metals used in gaskets for automotive & industrial applications; automotive brake noise insulators and NVH (noise, vibration & harshness) damping solutions for automotive.

Wolverine employs approximately 600 people worldwide and has manufacturing operations in Virginia, Florida, Germany, and China, as well as sales & technical offices in Michigan, Germany, Japan, China, Brazil, and India.

Wolverine Advanced Materials, an entity of Center Rock Capital, is a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance materials. Our core competency is in performance-critical, specialty elastomer–coated metals that offer damping and seal-ability solutions in the automotive and gasket industries.

Center Rock Capital is a company where they see potential where others may not look; and as a team we can find the right solution to the right challenge.

For more information, visit centerrockcp.com or wamglobal.com.

About the role

The Chemical Engineer will play a key role in ensuring product quality by conducting comprehensive testing on raw materials and coated substrates across all product lines. This includes evaluating materials used in sealing, brake applications, and other critical performance areas to verify compliance with specifications and support continuous improvement initiatives.

This role is located in Blacksburg, Virginia and is not remote eligible.

What you'll do

·         Develop, optimize, and monitor coating formulations and application processes.

·         Improve process efficiency, yield, and production throughput.

·         Troubleshoot coating defects (adhesion, thickness variation, curing issues, surface defects, etc.).

·         Support new product development and validation trials (PTR).

·         Analyze raw materials and finished product performance.

·         Implement continuous improvement initiatives (Lean / Six Sigma).

·         Ensure compliance with environmental, health, and safety (EHS) regulations.

·         Collaborate with production, quality, maintenance, and R&D teams.

·         Develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) and work instructions.

·         Lead root cause analysis and corrective action initiatives.

·         Conducts quality testing related to raw materials and coated products and entering the data into the database.

·         Characterizes materials, screens, optimizes, and collects reproducible data.

·         Assists and provides input into test methodology.

·         Maintains working knowledge of safety policies and regulations to ensure duties of self and others are performed in a safe manner.

·         Additional duties and responsibilities as assigned.

The above is intended to describe the general content of, and the requirements for, the performance of this position. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities, or requirements.

Qualifications

·         Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering (Master’s preferred).

·         3+ years of experience in industrial manufacturing or coating processes.

·         Knowledge of: Polymer chemistry, Surface treatment and adhesion principles, Solvent-based or water-based coatings.

·         Curing systems (thermal, UV, etc.)

·         Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

·         Experience with process control and data analysis.

·         Familiarity with ISO quality systems is a plus.

Preferred Experience:

Experience in PTFE, powder coating, epoxy, or specialty coatings.

Experience in high-volume manufacturing environments.

Knowledge of DOE (Design of Experiments).

Project management experience.

Key Behavioral Traits for Success:

• Safety – Always has safety as their priority; is comfortable addressing safety deficiencies with other employees; and functions as a safety advocate.
• Quality – Able to maintain high standards; do work right the first time and inspect material for flaws; reinforce excellence as a fundamental priority.
• Attention to Detail – Must be detail and task oriented and able to be alert in a high-risk environment. Must be able to follow detail procedures and ensure accuracy in documentation and data; carefully monitor gauges, instruments, or processes; concentrate on routine with work details and maintain a system of records.
• Interpersonal Communication Skills – Able to share due credit with coworkers; display enthusiasm and promote a friendly group working environment, work closely with other departments as necessary; support group decisions and seek opinions from coworkers; and display team spirit. Must be able to work as part of a team as well as work independently.
• On-site availability is key to this role.

**Wolverine Advanced Materials is an Equal Employment Opportunity Company