Advanced Materials Engineer, Global Materials Science

Join Amazon's Global Sustainable Packaging (GSP) organization as we pioneer the future of sustainable e-commerce packaging. As an Advanced Packaging Materials Engineer based in the EU, you'll serve as the critical link between our European and North American materials science operations—driving paper-based materials development tailored to the EU supplier base while harmonizing global materials strategies across regions. Embedded alongside our automation hardware development teams, you'll ensure that packaging materials and automation systems are co-developed for seamless integration.

This is a hands-on, technically broad role spanning pulp and paper manufacturing, packaging converting operations, paper-based materials for manual and automatic packaging, and packaging automation equipment. You'll conduct laboratory research, characterize materials properties, establish specifications, and work directly with EU-based suppliers to bring novel materials from concept to production—while serving as the conduit to align materials globally, simplify where possible, and solve for region-specific requirements driven by regulation, material supply availability, and operational differences.

Key job responsibilities
Materials Development & Innovation:
- Lead laboratory research and development of paper-based packaging materials for manual and automatic packaging, with deep understanding of pulp and paper manufacturing processes and converting operations.
- Design and execute experiments to optimize material formulations and processing parameters, applying the materials science triangle framework (processing-structure-properties) across the full range of paper-based packaging materials and converting processes.
- Develop next-generation materials solutions that unlock step-change improvements in performance, cost, sustainability, and automation compatibility—with specific focus on EU supplier capabilities and regional material availability.
- Advance materials innovations from concept, pilot, and deployment phases, ensuring solutions are compatible with EU packaging automation hardware and converting equipment.
- Evaluate and develop paper-based material systems that meet the unique performance demands of automated packaging lines, considering substrate interactions, machine speed requirements, and environmental conditions.

EU Materials Strategy & Global Alignment
- Serve as the primary conduit between EU and NA materials science teams, driving global alignment on materials specifications while identifying opportunities to harmonize and simplify across regions.
- Develop and maintain a comprehensive understanding of the EU supplier base—including paper mills, converters, and coating suppliers—and how it differs from the North American supply landscape.
- Identify region-specific materials requirements dictated by EU regulations (e.g., REACH, EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, CEFLEX), regional material supply constraints, and operational differences in EU fulfillment networks.
- Balance global standardization with regional customization—driving simplification where materials can be harmonized and developing tailored solutions where regional requirements demand differentiation.
- Build and maintain a materials roadmap for EU that aligns with global GSP strategy and EU automation hardware development timelines.

Automation Hardware Integration
- Work closely with EU-based automation hardware development teams to ensure paper-based packaging materials are co-developed with automation equipment, optimizing for machine runnability, reliability, and throughput.
- Provide materials expertise during automation system design, commissioning, and optimization—translating materials properties into actionable equipment parameters.
- Develop deep understanding of packaging converting equipment (folders, gluers, sealers, labelers) and how paper-based materials properties influence machine performance at production speeds.
- Support troubleshooting of materials-related automation failures, conducting root cause analysis that spans materials properties, converting conditions, and equipment settings.

Materials Characterization & Testing
- Perform and direct lab engineers to conduct comprehensive materials characterization of physical, structural, strength, resistance, surface, optical, barrier, and recyclability properties while utilizing standards and non-standard methodologies.
- Establish correlations between fundamental materials properties and operational performance in fulfillment environments, with emphasis on how EU-specific substrates and converting conditions affect outcomes.
- Design and execute test plans that validate materials performance against specifications and requirements for both manual and automated packaging operations.
- Analyze test data using statistical methods to drive dat