Sr Engineer R & D
- Location
- Summit, IL, US
- Work mode
- On-site
- Employment type
- Full-time
About the job
PURPOSE OF THE JOB
The Asphalt Technology & Productivity Engineer plays a critical role in protecting and strengthening Owens Corning’s asphalt supply position. This role delivers business value by improving supply flexibility, reducing sourcing risk, supporting margin enhancement, and accelerating the qualification of asphalt sources, formulations, and process changes for internal Owens Corning Roofing needs and external Trumbull Asphalt commercial opportunities. The engineer applies material science, process fundamentals, laboratory testing, pilot-scale validation, plant trials, and data analysis to solve complex asphalt sourcing, formulation, manufacturing, and product performance challenges. The role directly supports business continuity, cost competitiveness, manufacturing reliability, and product performance by ensuring Owens Corning has flexible, technically validated asphalt supply options. The position is located at Owens Corning’s Asphalt R&D Lab in Summit, IL, with regular travel to the Science & Technology Center in Granville, OH and manufacturing plants across North America. The role works closely with the Asphalt R&D Team and partners across Asphalt Sourcing, Quality, Operations, Commercial Asphalt, Components R&D, Shingle R&D, Product Management, Legal, suppliers, manufacturing sites, and customers. Owens Corning is a leader in the building materials industry with a $4.4 billion Roofing Business operating asphalt and roofing manufacturing locations across the US and globally.
Reports to: Asphalt R&D Leader Span of Control : Individual contributor who works across asphalt products
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
Asphalt Productivity & Supply Security (50%)
- Lead technical evaluation, qualification, and management of asphalt supply sources, alternative materials, and supplier approval programs.
- Develop and execute laboratory, pilot, and manufacturing validation plans that assess material performance, consistency, compatibility, and business risk.
- Establish technical acceptance criteria, qualification protocols, and risk assessment frameworks that enable consistent supplier approval and sourcing decisions.
- Improve supply security through dual sourcing, contingency planning, proactive material screening, and technical strategies that reduce single-source dependency.
- Partner with Sourcing to identify, screen, qualify, approve, or disqualify raw material sources using data-based technical recommendations.
- Lead plant trials from design through execution, data analysis, recommendation, and implementation to support material qualification and commercialization.
- Apply principles of material science, statistical analysis, and experimental design to solve complex supply, process, and product performance challenges.
- Provide technical leadership across cross-functional teams including R&D, Product Development, Process Engineering, Operations, Quality, and Procurement.
- Oversee and provide technical direction for third-party manufacturing and testing activities related to asphalt materials and products.
Manufacturing & Business Support (45%)
- Provide technical support for asphalt manufacturing operations, including troubleshooting, quality improvement, process optimization, and productivity initiatives.
- Partner with Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, and Procurement teams to resolve material performance concerns, manufacturing and quality issues, and supply disruptions.
- Implement new raw materials, formulations, sourcing changes, and process improvements in manufacturing while maintaining product performance, quality, safety, and reliability.
- Evaluate technical risks associated with material, formulation, and process changes and develop mitigation strategies to ensure successful implementation.
- Optimize asphalt formulations and manufacturing processes to improve cost position, quality, productivity, and supply flexibility.
- Analyze process, quality, and production data to identify trends, root causes, and opportunities for continuous improvement.
- Support product development programs by participating in project teams, technical reviews, and stage-gate processes.
- Provide technical expertise to support strategic business objectives and the continued growth of the asphalt roofing business.
Industry and External Collaboration (5%)
- Represent Owens Corning in industry organizations, technical committees, standards development activities, conferences, and supplier engagements.
- Build strong relationships with suppliers, industry experts, and external partners to identify emerging technologies, materials, and best practices.
- Monitor industry, market, and regulatory trends and communicate relevant insights to the business and Roofing R&D organization.
- Leverage external resources, partnerships, and industry knowledge to advance technical capabilities, innovation, and competitive advantage.
JOB REQUIREMENTS
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS :
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in chemical engineering, materials science, polymer science, chemistry, or related technical field
- 5 or more years of relevant industry experience in asphalt, petroleum, polymers, coatings, roofing, specialty chemicals, manufacturing, or related materials/process technology
- Strong knowledge of material science and chemistry
- Experience with process design, formulation development, material qualification, process optimization, or continuous improvement projects
- Demonstrated project manag
From Owens Corning's careers page (Company careers page), checked 29 Oct 2026.
How to apply
- Select Apply on owenscorning.com. It opens Owens Corning's own application form in a new tab, run on Company careers page.
- Fill in the form and upload your résumé there. Jobiwork never sees your application.
- Owens Corning will reply to you directly. No real employer asks you for money to apply.
Posted 15 Oct 2026 · checked 29 Oct 2026 · Report this job