Materials and Structures Senior Engineer

Why join us? Our purpose is design for the good of humankind. It's the ideal we strive toward each day in everything we do. Being a part of Miller Knoll means being a part of something larger than your work team, or even your brand. We are redefining modern for the 21st century. And our success allows Miller Knoll to support causes that align with our values, so we can build a more sustainable, equitable, and beautiful future for everyone.

General Purpose Serve as a technical individual contributor in materials and structural engineering. Independently lead complex projects and initiatives that impact multiple departments. Apply advanced engineering principles, complemented with analysis and simulation, to develop innovative solutions, optimize products, and ensure compliance with industry standards. Provide technical leadership, coaching, and guidance to peers and cross-functional teams. If you enjoy technical challenges, approach problems from a system-level perspective, value making an impact, and take satisfaction in communicating complex ideas clearly to diverse audiences, this role may be a good fit.

Essential Functions Lead and manage projects in materials and structural engineering, ensuring alignment with business objectives. Work cross-functionally with global engineering teams to solve complex problems. Develop and implement engineering standards, processes, and best practices for material selection, characterization, and design for structural integrity. Apply Lean and sustainability principles to improve product robustness, manufacturability, and lifecycle performance. Couple fundamental engineering and physics understanding, with FEA simulation tools to evaluate products for:
Robust Product Design Under Loads (Static and Dynamic) Appropriate Material Selection Human Comfort Sustainable Design Provide technical leadership and training to engineers and project teams. Influence decisions by communicating effectively with internal teams and external stakeholders (vendors, suppliers). Qualifications Core Expectations:

Education:

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, or related field (Master's preferred).

Experience:

Minimum 7 years as a Materials and Structures Engineer, Simulation Engineer, Structural Engineer, CAE Engineer or combined experience with Structural and Materials Engineering, with proven project leadership experience. Expertise in structural analysis, machine design, and sustainable product design. Strong knowledge of material testing and characterization, especially focused on nonlinear material behavior (Hands-on experience preferred). Proficiency in engineering software and tools (ANSYS, ABAQUS, CREO preferred).

Excellent communication and influencing skills across multiple levels. Driven to identify the optimal solution, using creativity, diagnosing underlying failure mechanisms, and comprehensively evaluating complex engineering problems through a physics-based lens. Value-Add

Experience:

Exposure to advanced model-based and simulation-driven methodologies (e.g., optimization, MBSE, digital twins, AI-assisted workflows) is a plus.

Experience with Failure Analysis and Root Cause Investigation. Hands on experience in a test lab environment. Strong knowledge of Lean principles and advanced problem-solving methodologies. Skills & Abilities Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills. Ability to manage multiple priorities and projects simultaneously. Strong leadership and mentoring capabilities. Effective communication and collaboration across departments. Comfortable working in ambiguous, loosely defined problem spaces that require creative, non-prescriptive solutions.

Physical Demands Work is primarily performed in an office environment with occasional visits to manufacturing or testing facilities. May require standing, walking, and lifting up to 25 lbs during inspections or testing activities. Leadership & Impact Acts as a technical leader within the organization. Provides guidance and coaching to other engineers. Manages major projects involving delegation and review of work products.

Operates with limited oversight, exercising judgment in decision-making.…