Materials Engineer

London, N4

️ 4 days in our office, 1 day from home (choose from Tue–Thu)

£35\-45k per annum \+ equity

About Shellworks

At Shellworks, we’re on a mission to make plastic waste a thing of the past. We’re creating a new generation of materials \- sustainable, high\-performing, and designed to disappear. By reimagining how materials are made, we’re tackling one of the world’s most urgent environmental challenges.

About The Role

As part of our fast\-paced, collaborative environment, you'll have the opportunity to make a tangible impact on the planet while growing your expertise. If you're passionate about using your engineering skills to solve complex challenges and create a better future, this is the perfect role for you.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the development, optimisation and scale\-up of our materials across compounding, extrusion, injection moulding, blow moulding and film processing.


• Orchestrate and evaluate trials at partner sites, providing actionable, data\-driven feedback to bridge materials science with equipment manufacturers and co\-packers. Exploring and testing alternative manufacturing techniques to expand product capabilities.


• Proactively identify process inefficiencies and conduct root cause analysis on material failures or processing defects, driving continuous improvement across internal pilot lines and external manufacturing sites.


• Design and execute robust, repeatable lab\-scale experiments to evaluate material formulations, utilizing multivariate data analysis to establish clear cause\-and\-effect relationships before moving to scale\-up.


• Build internal prototyping and pilot capability, helping shape our processing infrastructure.


• Work with suppliers on new materials, including incoming material analysis, testing and qualification.


• As a member of a dynamic team, you won’t just stay in your lane. You’ll jump in wherever needed from vetting new sustainable feedstock suppliers to identifying and researching new opportunity spaces.

Our Ideal Candidate

• Holds a degree in Polymer Processing, Materials Science, or a related field, with at least 1 year of industry experience.


• Brings a proactive, results\-driven mindset and a strong willingness to learn \- this is a hands\-on role that requires curiosity and initiative.


• Demonstrates solid skills in experimental design, with a passion for experimentation, data analysis, validation, and thorough documentation.


• Has experience using polymer characterisation techniques, including thermal analysis, rheology, mechanical testing, and microscopy.


• Has exposure to multiple polymer processes such as compounding, extrusion, injection moulding, blow moulding or film lines across a range of polymer groups, and is confident working directly with operators, OEMs and co\-manufacturers to align on technical requirements.


• You thrive in a high\-autonomy, fast\-moving start\-up environment \- spotting opportunities, building structure from scratch, and moving projects forward without waiting for instruction.


• Independent decision maker, you feel confident operating in ambiguity while driving clarity and momentum.


• A do it yourself / can do mentality \- not focussed on boundaries but interdisciplinary problem solving.

What we offer

28 days holiday \+ statutory holidays

Enhanced parental leave \- 12 weeks maternity at full pay, 6 weeks paternity at full pay

Heka wellbeing allowance \- to spend on what matters to you \- gym, therapy, nutrition, learning, fertility and menopause support, and lots of other options!

Virtual GP \- same or next day appointments and private prescriptions delivered to you

Cycle to work scheme \- buy, subscribe to, or share a bike with savings of up to 42% via salary sacrifice

Competitive salary \+ equity options

Growth and development opportunities as we scale

Regular socials \+ daily catered lunch at the office

A tightly knit, passionate team making a real impact

Join Us

Becoming a part of Shellworks means being part of a team that’s passionate about sustainability and innovation. Our world\-class team includes experts in materials science and visionary entrepreneurs dedicated to creating a better future. Together, we’re redefining what’s possible.

This role involves travel and requires manual handling of goods up to 25kg in weight.

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