EMEA Operations Development Program Associate

Job Description:

Job Description

Locations: Pogliano, Italy, Knowsley UK and Ahrensburg, Germany

Program start date: 1 October 2026

As part of our European 24-month program, you will have the opportunity to gain a wide breadth of exposure and experience across our key Business Units. In addition, you will continue to grow and develop your career through on-the-job and formal training, coaching and mentoring. At the end of the program, you will be placed in a leading operations role that suits your strengths as you kick start your career with Avient.

Besides the on job and formal training, we offer you a long-term career path into a performing and rewarding workplace, teambuilding and network activities and a culture of values focused on Collaboration, Innovation and Excellence.

You Will Navigate Into Our Rotational Assignments In

* Operations:
* You will experience our strong focus on safety standards and best practices in operations. You will have hands-on exposure to process technology including mixing, feeding, extrusion and pelletizing. You will get insights into hardware components and understand production and resource planning processes. You will practice lean management principles and continuous process improvement.
* Other key functions:
* You will gain exposure to other key functions and learn the fundamentals of product development including how new products are formulated and scaled up to production. You will be introduced to basic quality control and analytical methods, helping you understand how product performance and compliance are assessed. You will also become familiar with product specifications and gain insight into quality management systems.
* Operations abroad:
* As part of the program, it is essential to gain exposure beyond the home manufacturing site by visiting and working at other production locations. It provides valuable hands-on experience with different processes, technologies and ways of working while encouraging cultural and cross-functional understanding. The insights and best practices gained can then be transferred back enabling participants in the program to add value in their future roles.

Selection process

* Initial phone screens will take place between 1st April - 30th April 2026
* Recruitment Events take place between 18th May - 1st July 2026

Program Start And End

* Program start date 1st October 2026 in Pogliano, Italy.
* The Program will end in 2028 in Pogliano, Italy.

Qualifications

* Bachelor's or Master degree in Chemical Engineering.
* Fresh graduate or up to 2 years of experience including internship or student assignments
* Desire to learn and make a difference into the Polymer/Chemical Industry
* Good spoken and written communication skills.
* Good active listening skills.
* Ability to work independently and within a team environment.
* Languages: English and Italian fluent.
* EU Category B Driving License

About Us

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