Materials Engineer Jobs in Washington

DESCRIPTION

Join Amazon's Global Materials Science (GMS) organization as we pioneer the future of sustainable e-commerce packaging. As an Advanced Materials Engineer, you'll be at the forefront of materials innovation—developing breakthrough packaging materials that enable automation, reduce environmental impact, and deliver superior customer experiences at Amazon scale. This is a hands-on role where you'll conduct laboratory research, characterize materials properties, establish specifications, and work directly with suppliers to bring novel materials from concept to production across our global fulfillment network.

Key job responsibilities

Materials Development & Innovation:

• Lead hands-on laboratory research and development of packaging materials including paper substrates, adhesives, coatings, and alternative fiber technologies.
• Design and execute experiments to optimize material formulations and processing parameters, applying the materials science triangle framework (processing-structure-properties).
• Develop next-generation materials solutions that unlock step-change improvements in performance, cost, sustainability, and automation compatibility.
• Advance materials innovations from concept, pilot and deployment phases.

Materials Characterization & Testing:

• Perform comprehensive materials characterization using techniques including tensile/burst/tear testing, rheometry, thermal analysis (DSC, TGA), spectroscopy (FTIR), microscopy (SEM, optical), and surface analysis while utilizing ASTM, TAPPI, ISO, ISTA standards and non-standard methodologies.
• Establish correlations between fundamental materials properties and operational performance in fulfillment environments.
• Design and execute test plans that validate materials performance against specifications and requirements.
• Analyze test data using statistical methods to drive data-driven materials selection decisions.

Specifications & Quality:

• Define materials specifications based on critical performance thresholds required for packaging to protect products and survive the fulfillment network.
• Translate operational requirements into measurable materials properties and acceptable ranges.
• Develop quality control protocols and testing methodologies to ensure supplier compliance with specifications.

Supplier & Manufacturing Collaboration:

• Work directly with paper mills, adhesive manufacturers, converters, and other suppliers to develop and scale new materials.
• Conduct technical evaluations of supplier capabilities, processes, and quality control systems.
• Guide suppliers on process optimization to achieve target material properties and consistency.

Cross-Functional Partnership:

• Collaborate with Packaging Engineering on materials-design integration and automation equipment compatibility.
• Partner with Global Procurement (GPO) on strategic sourcing, supplier selection, and commercial negotiations.
• Support sustainability initiatives including carbon footprint modeling, recyclability assessment, and low-carbon sourcing.
• Provide technical expertise to program managers, product teams, and deployment teams.
• Communicate complex materials science concepts clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.

Documentation & Knowledge Sharing:

• Author technical reports, test protocols, specifications documents, and research summaries.
• Document experimental procedures, results, and learnings to build institutional knowledge.
• Present findings at design reviews, technical workshops, and leadership reviews.
• Contribute to intellectual property generation through public disclosures and patent applications.
• Mentor junior engineers and technicians on materials science principles and testing methodologies.

A day in the life

You're pioneering the future of sustainable packaging—one experiment at a time.

Your morning starts hands-on in the lab, characterizing a breakthrough adhesive formulation that could enable a packaging materials change across our entire fulfillment network. The data looks promising—you're seeing the performance leap needed to replace significant amounts of plastic annually.

By midday, you're in a technical deep-dive with a supplier, using your materials science expertise to optimize their processing parameters. Your insights on fiber and chemistry are unlocking solutions they haven't considered.

Your afternoon shifts between analyzing test data from trials—turning waste into high-performance packaging materials—and updating specifications that will guide massive procurement decisions.

This isn't just lab work. Your materials innovations directly enable automation systems, reduce our carbon footprint, and touch millions of customer experiences daily. You're solving problems at the intersection of chemistry, sustainability, and massive scale—developing materials that don't exist today but will define the future of e-commerce packaging.

Every breakthrough you make in the lab can have a global impact.

About the team

The Global Materials Science (GMS) organization is Amazon's Center of Excellence for packaging materials development and supply chain transformation. Our team represents a fundamental shift in how Amazon approaches packaging innovation—moving from supplier-dependent solutions to owning the invention, development, and optimization of materials that power our fulfillment network.

Our Mission: We build deep expertise in packaging materials through rigorous research and testing, develop innovative packaging solutions that unlock automation potential and sustainability improvements, and establish robust supply chains that deliver superior solutions at lower cost.

Our Vision: To be the global leader in e-commerce packaging materials science and innovation, enabling the best customer packaging experience at the lowest cost to serve.

What Makes Us Unique: We're not just specifying materials—we're fundamentally understanding them through the materials science triangle framework (processing, structure, properties). Our integrated capabilities span from molecular-level materials characterization, to full packaging system testing, to automation compatibility testing. This end-to-end ownership enables us to innovate faster, unlock step-change improvements impossible for suppliers alone, and maintain freedom to operate across multiple supply chains.

Our Impact: We're driving Amazon's transition from plastic to paper packaging, developing breakthrough materials and establishing supply chains that reduce costs while advancing our 2040 net-zero commitment. Our work directly influences automation success, customer experience, and sustainability metrics.

Our Culture: We operate with high technical rigor while moving at startup speed. We embrace calculated risk-taking in R&D, fail fast, and iterate based on data. We believe in radical collaboration—our success requires seamless partnership across engineering, procurement, operations, and sustainability teams. We're building something that's never been done before in e-commerce, and we're looking for program managers who thrive in ambiguity, think strategically while executing tactically, and are energized by complex, high-impact challenges.

Our Team: We bring together materials scientists, chemists, engineers, and program managers who are passionate about solving hard problems. We partner with world-class academic institutions, leading materials suppliers, and internal Amazon teams to push the boundaries of what's possible in packaging materials.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience working with interdisciplinary teams to execute product design from concept to production.
• Experience with the project management of technical projects.
• Experience in developing functional specifications, design verification plans and functional test procedures.
• 5 - 10+ years of experience with materials selection, testing, and scaling to manufacturing.
• Bachelor's degree in materials science engineering, chemistry, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, pulp/paper engineering or a related technical discipline.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in characterization techniques and equipment, such as SEM-EDS, FTIR, DSC, TGA, DMA, rheometry, spectrophotometry, optical microscopy, and mechanical property testing related to packaging or other forest products with standard (ASTM, TAPPI, ISO, ISTA, etc.) and non-standard methodologies.

Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.

Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.

The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.

Location:
USA, WA, Bellevue - 137,300.00 - 185,700.00 USD annually
USA, WA, Seattle - 137,300.00 - 185,700.00 USD annually
USA, WA, Sumner - 137,300.00 - 185,700.00 USD annually