WhyHyre is recruiting a Principal Engineer for a newly created position with a large, established materials manufacturer expanding its presence in building and construction markets. This role will help lead growth in flooring, roofing and underlayment applications by combining deep B&C application knowledge with strong polymer and materials expertise. You'll develop film solutions for new and expanding markets, working across product design, specifications, process development, testing and manufacturing trials. The position reports directly to the Technical Director and works closely with customers, manufacturing, quality and commercial teams. What you'll lead Translate flooring and roofing application requirements into polymer-film designs, specifications, coatings, multilayer structures and extrusion formulations. Develop film carriers used by downstream coaters applying high-performance adhesives, considering both processing requirements and end-use performance. Guide concepts through trials, scale-up and commercialization. Development cycles in this market can run 1–2 years. Troubleshoot manufacturing and field-performance issues while supporting relevant durability, weathering and building-material standards and code approvals. Lead project reviews, communicate technical options to customers, mentor technical colleagues and contribute to technical documentation and intellectual property where appropriate. What you'll bring Strong building and construction application expertise, particularly within flooring and/or roofing and underlayments, combined with strong polymer knowledge. Relevant product-development and commercialization experience with direct ownership of design, specification and process decisions. Knowledge of polymer films, multilayer structures, extrusion and/or lamination, coatings and related material technologies. The ability to operate with limited direction, solve complex technical problems and communicate confidently with customers and internal stakeholders. Ability to support an onsite/hybrid environment and approximately 20–50% travel for customers, trade shows and facility trials. The published qualifications include 10+ years of relevant experience and a related bachelor's, master's or PhD in Polymer Science, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemistry or a related field. Experience with building-material standards and approvals, technology transfer, patents/IP and sustainability initiatives is also valued. First 90 days The initial focus will be onboarding, learning internal systems and manufacturing capabilities, supporting technical direction for the Building & Construction segment and beginning to lead project reviews and development activity. Location The search is being conducted regionally across the Bloomer–Lexington corridor, including talent from the Chicago and Minneapolis markets. Exact home-base and hybrid arrangements can be discussed, but this is not a fully remote position.
