When Alfred Fain founded a small Rhode Island tire store in 1924, at the time no one could have predicted how Teknor Apex would become an international custom compounder sought out by companies around the world. After a nearly hundred-year journey that’s carried us through acquisitions and expansion, we now have nine U.S. locations, as well as operations in Belgium, Singapore, Germany, and China.
Throughout this global expansion Teknor has remained a privately held company, and today Fain’s grandson sits at the helm, maintaining the family’s tradition of fostering deep employee and customer relationships. These relationships are what allow us—together—to deliver customized compound solutions and help our customer’s create better products.
“Manufacturing is a team sport, and we work together to achieve our goals.” ~Jon Fain
Summary
The Technical Service and Development Engineer II for Color & Additives Masterbatch Solutions, serves as a trusted technical partner to customers and internal teams, driving growth through product innovation, technical expertise, and responsive problem-solving. This role works with Sales, R&D, Manufacturing, Quality, and customers to develop and optimize color and additive masterbatch solutions that deliver real-world performance.
The Engineer leads technical support efforts, troubleshoots processing challenges, and provides hands-on assistance during product trials to ensure successful outcomes. This role stays connected to market trends, customer needs, and emerging technologies, and identifies opportunities for innovation, improved product performance, and strengthened customer relationships. The work of the Technical Service & Development Engineer II directly contributes to business growth, customer satisfaction, and the continued success of our products in the marketplace.
Responsibilities
- Lead customer-focused innovation and new product development efforts that drive growth across targeted markets.
- Partner with Sales, R&D, Manufacturing, and Quality to develop, optimize, and commercialize high-performing color and additive masterbatch solutions.
- Serve as the primary technical contact for customers and internal teams, providing guidance on product selection, development, and application performance.
- Troubleshoot processing and product performance issues, delivering timely solutions through both remote and on-site support.
- Coordinate and interpret analytical and physical testing through internal laboratories and external testing partners.
- Lead and support internal and customer product trials, ensuring successful execution, evaluation, and follow-through.
- Enable business growth by providing technical expertise that supports customer acquisition, retention, and expansion opportunities.
- Act as a technical resource for the TATX color laboratory, supporting color and additive-related challenges.
- Maintain subject matter expertise in pigments, additives, polymers, processing technologies, and application development for color and additive masterbatch solutions.
- Monitor market trends, customer needs, and competitive activity to identify opportunities for innovation and growth.
- Support CCAR investigations and continuous improvement efforts through technical analysis and problem resolution.
- Build strong relationships and communicate effectively with customers, suppliers, and cross-functional teams to deliver successful outcomes.
- This description is a summary of principal responsibilities and is not intended to include all duties that may be assigned.
Skills
- Technical Knowledge: Strong knowledge of polymer processing, pigments, additives, and structure–property–processing relationships, with the ability to connect material composition, morphology, processing conditions, and end-use performance
- Analytical Problem Solving : Evaluates complex technical issues, identifies root causes, and develops practical solutions using data, testing results, and engineering judgment.
- Technical Communication: Translates complex technical concepts into clear, actionable information for customers, suppliers, sales teams, and manufacturing partners.
- Relationship Building : Establishes credibility and trust with customers and cross-functional stakeholders, enabling collaboration, influence, and long-term partnership.
- Learning Agility: Rapidly acquires and applies new technical knowledge, market insights, and emerging technologies to solve problems and support innovation.
Experiences
- 5+ years of experience in plastics color required and/or additive concentrate/compound industry, particularly in Technical Service or Product Development.
- Hands-on experience with twin-screw processing and lab equipment
- Familiarity with some or all: Rotational molding, blow molding, injection molding
Education
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in a technical field of study such as Chemistry, Engineering, or Materials/Polymer Science and Engineering
This description is a summary of principal responsibilities and is not intended to include all duties that may be assigned.
Teknor Apex is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any protected status under state or federal laws. Must be 18 years of age or older to work at Teknor Apex.
Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights (https://www.eeoc.gov/poster) notice from the Department of Labor.
