Mandatory Internship – Product Development Engineer (m/f/d)

<h2>About ecopals</h2><p>ecopals is building the leading performance additive platform for asphalt and bitumen modification, engineered for regional, sovereign supply chains and backed by strong unit economics. Our current product line is built on high-performance polymers, with further additive categories in active development. In the last two years, we have scaled to active operations in more than 10 EU countries, while continuously expanding our product and technology platform.</p><p>As we enter our next growth phase, we are opening a mandatory internship position for <strong>Product Development Engineer (m/f/d)</strong>. The role works closely with our R&D team on the identification, assessment and development of new products, formulations and production routes.</p><p>The role combines materials science and engineering with data analysis and modern AI-assisted technical workflows, with a strong emphasis on using these tools to accelerate development without compromising scientific rigor.</p><h2>Tasks</h2><p>In this internship, you will help turn early technical ideas into structured development programmes and support the evaluation of which product and process routes are worth pursuing.</p><p><strong>Areas of responsibility</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Product development research.</strong> Researching potential development routes for new products, formulations and processes based on scientific literature, technical documentation, experimental results and first-principles understanding.</p></li><li><p><strong>Development-route assessment.</strong> Comparing materials, technologies, mechanisms and production concepts and identifying promising routes for further development.</p></li><li><p><strong>Technical and economic feasibility.</strong> Preparing structured assessments and reports on technical feasibility, process requirements, raw materials, costs and potential economic viability.</p></li><li><p><strong>Test programme development.</strong> Supporting the design of experimental programmes, including formulation matrices, variables, testing methods and evaluation criteria.</p></li><li><p><strong>Experimental and laboratory support.</strong> Preparing material samples for internal testing, external laboratories and customers; assisting with the preparation and execution of in-house experimental setups; and supporting the documentation and evaluation of experimental results.</p></li><li><p><strong>Laboratory coordination.</strong> Supporting the planning and coordination of testing activities with internal and external laboratories, suppliers and technical partners.</p></li><li><p><strong>Data analysis.</strong> Processing and evaluating experimental data to identify trends, correlations, performance drivers and development priorities.</p></li><li><p><strong>Technical data management.</strong> Building and maintaining structured databases for formulations, raw materials, test results, literature and development projects.</p></li><li><p><strong>Programming, data analysis and AI-assisted workflows.</strong> Using Python and modern AI-assisted development tools, including AI agents, to clean, structure, analyse and visualize technical data; automate repetitive R&D tasks; support technical research; and build internal analytical workflows. A key part of the role is learning to use these tools effectively and responsibly, with proper validation, documentation and control of the resulting work.</p></li><li><p><strong>Technical standards and regulations.</strong> Res