Lab Engineer, Global Materials Science
Amazon•Seattle, WA
fulltime
Manufacturing and Engineering
0+ years
Description Join Amazon's Global Materials Science (GMS) organization as a Lab Engineer and be part of pioneering sustainable e-commerce packaging. In this hands-on role, you'll conduct materials testing and characterization that directly supports the development of breakthrough packaging materials. You'll work in state-of-the-art laboratories, operating advanced testing equipment, executing experiments, and generating critical data that enables our team to make informed decisions about materials that touch millions of customer experiences daily.
Key job responsibilities
Materials Testing & Characterization
Data Collection & Analysis
Laboratory Operations
Cross-Functional Support
Documentation & Continuous Improvement
Work Environment
A day in the life
Your day starts in the lab preparing test specimens—cutting paper samples to precise dimensions and conditioning them in the environmental chamber. You're supporting a critical adhesive development project, and today's testing will determine if the new formulation meets performance requirements.
Mid-morning, you're running tensile and burst tests on paper samples, carefully following the test protocol and recording data in real-time. The results look interesting—you notice the tear strength is higher than previous samples and flag this for the materials engineer leading the project.
After lunch, you're operating the rheometer to characterize viscosity profiles of new hot melt adhesive samples from three different suppliers. You meticulously document the temperature ramps and flow behavior, knowing this data will directly inform sourcing decisions.
Your afternoon includes calibrating equipment, organizing test data into clear summary reports, and preparing samples for tomorrow's environmental conditioning tests. You also participate in a team meeting where you present your week's testing results—your data shows one supplier's material consistently outperforms the others.
This is hands-on work that matters. The tests you conduct today generate the data that enables breakthrough materials innovations, supports major procurement decisions, and ultimately improves packaging for millions of customers while advancing Amazon's sustainability goals.
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—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 previously thought impossible.
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 value both technical excellence and the ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
Our Team: We bring together materials scientists, chemists, engineers, lab technicians, 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
Preferred Qualifications
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.
USA, WA, Seattle - 99,400.00 - 160,000.00 USD annually
USA, WA, Sumner - 99,400.00 - 160,000.00 USD annually
Company - Amazon.com Services LLC
Job ID: A3179335