As the world’s global leader in innovative and sustainable building materials, LafargeHolcim is reinventing the way the world builds. Supported by a 70,000-strong global team spread across 70 markets and four industry segments, we are committed to shaping a greener, smarter and healthier world. As we continue to look for more sustainable ways to build, we need world-class talent to join our team. People who are passionate about sustainability, driven by curiosity and keen to grow, learn, develop and thrive in our high-performance culture.

With a seamless integration from design to manufacturing, digital design and fabrication allows to customize the design of a construction element for the strictly required performances, to account for the specificities of the project (avoiding over-design) and to shift material selection to an earlier stage so that its performances can be fully valued in the design. Innovative design options made possible by topology optimization techniques, robotization of concrete forming (3D printing, smart dynamic casting…) or automation of assembly of off-site prefabricated elements call for new range of concrete mix design as traditional compromises of workability and strength in conventional designs and construction practices can be overcome.

The R&D engineer specialized in mechanics of materials will support these projects (Digital Design & Fabrication / Ductal / Precast & Modular Construction) in bringing his/her expertise in the characterization and the optimization of the material mechanical performances.

Within the R&D teams of our LafargeHolcim Innovation Center, you will be working on material and constructive systems research projects, in a typical timeframe of 2 to 5 years before the solution is transferred to the market.
You will develop, share and communicate scientific knowledge on innovative building systems and advanced material and construction processes (e.g. precast modular, UHPFRC, 3D printing…) and actively participate in LafargeHolcim innovation roadmap.

Your responsibilities

• Characterize material mechanical behavior and develop ad’hoc testing protocols to capture key properties both at material level (stress-strain behavior, shrinkage, creep,…) and at key assembly points in the construction element (behavior at interfaces, adherence between layers, reinforcement behavior,…)
• Identify innovative avenues for improvement of material mechanical performance (reinforcement strategies, cracking issues,…)
• Model mechanical behavior of innovative products and associated systems
• Collaborate efficiently with internal R&D project team members
• Interface with certification organisms for new material testing protocols
• Clearly communicate results internally via scientific reports and updates
• Publish externally scientific articles and trigger academic collaborations
• Collaborate with Business Unit and provide expert assistance / know-how during supporor training missions and industrialization phases of new products

Your impact

• You contribute to the development of innovative offers for the construction industry
• You bring your expertise at the service of the Group and help local teams differentiate
• You contribute to the reputation of the Innovation Center internally and externally

PhD/MSc in Civil Engineering / Concrete Technology

• 5-10 years with a successful track record in innovation
• International background is a plus, with an experience abroad and in multi-cultural environments; Fluent English is mandatory, Fluent in French would be a plus.

Technical skills

• Mechanical testing development and exploitation (stress-strain behavior, shrinkage, creep, thermal behavior, fatigue…),
• concrete mix design,
• reinforcement strategies (including fiber reinforcement),
• finite element modeling

Soft skills

• Innovation,
• creativity,
• curiosity,
• innovative problem solving capabilities,
• team spirit,
• open-minded,
• result-oriented,
• excellent analytical and synthetic mind,
• ability to quickly learn new competencies,
• excellent oral and written communication skills,
• ability to interface with business units and academic network