Technology Leadership Associate - 2026 Leadership Development Program Ph.D.

Job Summary

The Corporate Technology Leadership Development Program accelerates professional development by placing high caliber Ph.D. graduates on multiple Avient R&D Teams. This two year program consists of two (2) twelve-month, or three (3) nine-month rotational assignments and provides hands on roles that will help you gain experience in technology and leadership philosophy while providing technical, functional and leadership skills training. These teams develop and support a wide range of projects that enable the critical processes of Avient businesses.

Rotational assignments will vary depending on the skills of the candidate hired, and may include foundational R&D and applied product or process development directed toward any of Avient technical platforms. During each phase of their assignment they will establish relationships with peers and leaders, learn fundamentals and be provided feedback from the program manager. Upon completion of the program, individuals will be placed in a full time role within Avient that best suits their personal and professional goals and matches the business needs.

Essential Functions

• Actively interface with business and technology leaders to develop custom polymer formulations and / or processes adhering to customer specifications, quality requirements, and operational goals and standards.

• Contribute to product platform development through the application of statistical experimental design, product testing, and data analysis.

• Perform literature and patent searches to guide experimentation.

• Partner with manufacturing resources to develop test methods and establish quality controls for new materials / processes.

• Support marketing and sales through development of product and application data.

• Summarize experimental strategies and data analysis in written reports and presentations for communication with peers, customers, and various levels of management.

• Collaborate in cross-functional projects across business units.

• Develop Lean Six Sigma (LSS) capabilities.

• Build on hard and soft-core competencies through training by taking a list of coursework to develop technical, functional and leadership skills

• Other duties as assigned

Education and Experience

• Ph.D. in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Polymer Science, Material Science or Physics, with a focus on polymer materials development, structure-property relationships, or polymer processing.

Additional Qualifications

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office including Excel, Word and PowerPoint.

• Demonstrated project management capability.

• Strong analytical and problem solving skills.

• Motivated with a passion to succeed.

Our purpose at Avient Corporation is to be an innovator of materials solutions that help our customers succeed, while enabling a sustainable world.

Innovation goes far beyond materials science; it's powered by the passion, creativity, and diverse expertise of 9,000 professionals worldwide. Whether you're a finance wizard, a tech enthusiast, an operational powerhouse, an HR changemaker, or a trailblazer in materials development, you'll find your place at Avient.

Join our global team and help shape the future with sustainable solutions that transform possibilities into realities. Your unique perspective could be the key to our next breakthrough!

We believe that all of our global employees are leaders and that the six most important behaviors for driving our strategy and culture are the same no matter if an employee is a leader of self, a leader of others, or a leader of the business.

By playing to win, acting customer centric, driving innovation and profitable growth, collaborating seamlessly across Avient, and motivating and inspiring and developing others and yourself you will accelerate your ability to achieve Avient's strategic goals, to meet our customer needs, and to accomplish your career goals.

At Avient, we believe a wide variety of thoughts, ideas and backgrounds gives us the creativity to be successful in a rapidly changing world. In support of this, we stress equality of opportunity for all qualified individuals in accordance with applicable laws. Decisions on hiring, promotion, development, compensation or advancement are based solely on a person's qualifications, abilities, experience and performance.

Avient is an equal opportunity employer. We maintain a policy of non-discrimination in providing equal employment to all qualified employees and candidates regardless of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, color, religion, national origin, disability, genetic information, protected veteran's status, or other legally protected classification in accordance with applicable federal, state and local law. If you need an accommodation because of a disability to complete an online application, please contact the Avient HR Team by emailing, ApplicationAccommodation@Avient.com.