Extrusion Engineer

Key Responsibilities:

• Material & Process Development
• Drive new and existing extruded natural material development projects through formulation and process development into scalable solutions for packaging & disposables applications.
• Design, organise, execute, and analyse coating trials both in-house and at partner facilities, working hands-on to develop and optimise processes for natural material applications
• Work with different product groups to prioritise and plan extrusion trials.
• Lead and coordinate trials, bringing process engineering expertise
• Troubleshoot coating defects and process challenges through root cause analysis and corrective actions
• Scale coating processes from laboratory to pilot stage, anticipating and addressing scale-up challenges
• Build deep technical understanding of how natural materials behave in coating processes, including rheology, adhesion, film formation, and drying characteristics.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration & External Partnerships
• Work shoulder to shoulder and collaborate closely with cross-disciplinary teams, including material designers, material scientists, business development managers, product designers, seaweed specialists, and more, to solve complex challenges
• Blur disciplinary boundaries when needed to drive integrated problem-solving
• Successfully build and manage external relationships and represent Notpla
• Liaise with academic institutions, R&D labs, toll manufacturers and equipment suppliers to organize third-party testing, trials, and explore technology partnerships
• Provide technical support for grant proposals and client projects
• Feasibility & Strategic Technical Planning
• Conduct rapid feasibility studies and pathfinding activities to evaluate the quickest and best technical routes to market from a holistic perspective
• Set out technical strategies and approaches to solve process problems
• Stay current with technology advancements and industry trends, integrating new knowledge into ongoing projects
• Identify novel process technologies and equipment partnerships that could unlock new capabilities for natural materials
• Data Analysis, Documentation & Communication
• Design experiments, collect and analyze trial data, and present findings with clear recommendations to drive decision-making
• Document trials and learnings systematically to build institutional knowledge
• Communicate complex process engineering concepts effectively to diverse audiences through written, visual, and verbal formats
• Contribute technical content to patent applications and intellectual property development
• Notpla is a family of regenerative packaging materials, made from seaweed and plants. Behind these products is a company of the same name, deeply committed to making the planet a healthier place. Winner of the prestigious Earthshot Prize, Notpla are famed for their innovative, scalable alternatives to plastic. These include the edible liquid bubbles - Ooho, their seaweed-coated food containers, single-use films and rigid materials. To date, their solutions have already replaced 16 million pieces of single-use plastic from entering our environment.
• Notpla Limited takes inclusion and diversity seriously. It is important for us that we live by our values and our policies outline how – We work better together. Notpla is committed to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion among our workforce, and eliminating unlawful discrimination.