What does a Materials Engineer do?

Evaluate materials and develop machinery and processes to manufacture materials for use in products that must meet specialized design and performance specifications. Day to day that includes work like analyze product failure data and laboratory test results to determine causes of problems and develop solutions and Design and direct the testing or control of processing procedures.

What skills should a Materials Engineer put on a resume?

O*NET rates Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving, Reading Comprehension, Science, and Critical Thinking among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Materials Engineer list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes ANSYS Multiphysics, Autodesk AutoCAD, C++, Computer aided design CAD software, and Dassault Systemes CATIA. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Materials Engineer work?

O*NET records 37 titles for this occupation, including Materials Research Engineer, Metallurgical Engineer, Metallurgist, and Extrusion Engineer. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Materials Engineer need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 48% reported their level of education as "Bachelor's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Materials Engineer role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Materials Engineer resume example

A resume for a Materials Engineer needs to show the work itself: evaluate materials and develop machinery and processes to manufacture materials for use in products that must meet specialized design and performance specifications. Day to day that means work like this: analyze product failure data and laboratory test results to determine causes of problems and develop solutions; design and direct the testing or control of processing procedures. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Materials Research Engineer
Metallurgical Engineer
Metallurgist
Extrusion Engineer
Materials Development Engineer
Research Engineer
Test Engineer
SQE
Automotive Sheet Metal Engineer
Ceramic Design Engineer
Ceramic Engineer
Ceramic Research Engineer
Ceramics Test Engineer
Corrosion Engineer
Design Engineer
Engineer
Extractive Metallurgist
Failure Analysis Engineer

O*NET records 37 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

Analyze product failure data and laboratory test results to determine causes of problems and develop solutions.
Design and direct the testing or control of processing procedures.
Monitor material performance, and evaluate its deterioration.
Conduct or supervise tests on raw materials or finished products to ensure their quality.
Evaluate technical specifications and economic factors relating to process or product design objectives.
Modify properties of metal alloys, using thermal and mechanical treatments.
Determine appropriate methods for fabricating and joining materials.
Guide technical staff in developing materials for specific uses in projected products or devices.
Review new product plans, and make recommendations for material selection, based on design objectives such as strength, weight, heat resistance, electrical conductivity, and cost.
Supervise the work of technologists, technicians, and other engineers and scientists.
Plan and implement laboratory operations to develop material and fabrication procedures that meet cost, product specification, and performance standards.
Plan and evaluate new projects, consulting with other engineers and corporate executives, as necessary.

21 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Analyze product failure data and laboratory test results to determine causes of problems and develop solutions, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Design and direct the testing or control of processing procedures, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Monitor material performance, and evaluate its deterioration, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Conduct or supervise tests on raw materials or finished products to ensure their quality, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

ANSYS Multiphysics
Autodesk AutoCAD
C++
Computer aided design CAD software
Dassault Systemes CATIA
Dassault Systemes SolidWorks
Digital image correlation DIC software
Enterprise resource planning ERP software
Fault detection isolation and recovery FDIR software
Finite element analysis software
Formula translation/translator FORTRAN
Fused deposition modeling FDM rapid prototyping systems
Graphics software
IBM Notes

38 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

Abrasion testers
Accelerated weathering machines
Accelerometers
Acoustic impediography equipment
Adhesion testers
Adiabatic bomb calorimeters
Ammeters
Analytical balances
Atomic absorption AA spectrophotometers
Atomic force microscopes
Attritors
Ball mills

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Active Listening
02Complex Problem Solving
03Reading Comprehension
04Science
05Critical Thinking
06Mathematics
07Speaking
08Writing
09Active Learning
10Judgment and Decision Making

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Engineering and Technology
Chemistry
Physics
Mathematics
Production and Processing
English Language
Design
Computers and Electronics

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

48%Bachelor's Degree
33%Doctoral Degree
10%Master's Degree

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Considerable Preparation Needed”. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Common questions

What does a Materials Engineer do?: Evaluate materials and develop machinery and processes to manufacture materials for use in products that must meet specialized design and performance specifications. Day to day that includes work like analyze product failure data and laboratory test results to determine causes of problems and develop solutions and Design and direct the testing or control of processing procedures.
What skills should a Materials Engineer put on a resume?: O*NET rates Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving, Reading Comprehension, Science, and Critical Thinking among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Materials Engineer list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes ANSYS Multiphysics, Autodesk AutoCAD, C++, Computer aided design CAD software, and Dassault Systemes CATIA. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Materials Engineer work?: O*NET records 37 titles for this occupation, including Materials Research Engineer, Metallurgical Engineer, Metallurgist, and Extrusion Engineer. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Materials Engineer need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 48% reported their level of education as "Bachelor's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Materials Engineer role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.