R&D Engineer, Instrumentation

About the Company

Vitro Architectural Glass manufactures a broad range of industry-leading, energy-efficient products such as Solarban®, Sungate®, and Starphire Ultra-Clear® glasses. Collaboration and innovation have been central to our advancements, with a foundation built on trust, teamwork, and shared excitement. The company operates manufacturing facilities throughout the U.S. and Mexico, is committed to sustainable manufacturing processes, and runs one of the world’s largest glass research and development facilities in Pittsburgh, PA. Vitro also has four residential glass fabrication plants in Canada.

About the Role

The Engineer’s general function is to build, maintain, and improve laboratory and plant-level equipment (including equipment for sample preparation, test, and measurement) and develop new experimental methods in support of R&D and non-R&D customers. The Engineer also owns process and product improvement projects that may have visibility beyond R&D.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate closely with the building and facilities services group to improve and maintain laboratory equipment.
• Under supervision, design new products and processes involving technology and improve/maintain existing products.
• Conduct design analysis on components or assemblies to ensure designs are cost-efficient, manufacturable, and reliable.
• Define process improvements that yield results in safety, quality, cost, and control.
• Work independently with known technologies; develop new technologies under supervision.
• Initiate and maintain relationships with vendors to purchase equipment and supplies for laboratory efficiency and continuity.
• Assist other professionals in performing assigned phases of work, ranging from defined methods to technical judgment.
• Provide limited technical guidance to junior professionals or technicians.
• Lead and manage HOSHIN-level projects focused on product or process improvement.
• Analyze and evaluate current equipment and measurement protocols for new products; identify gaps and design instrumentation to meet needs.
• Collaborate with other engineers to develop accurate, efficient instrumentation and data interfaces in accordance with safety, usability, and controls standards.
• Design and test prototypes of equipment; develop statistically robust measurement processes.
• Create basic schematics and simulated models to test designs; modify designs to meet specifications and budget requirements.
• Oversee the implementation of new measuring devices and control systems, ensuring correct installation and testing at production locations.
• Draft and present formal technical documents, reports, and testing results for manager approval.
• Draft technical and user manuals for instrumentation.
• Provide training related to devices to employees and/or customers.
• Work collaboratively with controls, production, and quality engineers to implement process control protocols and tools.

Qualifications

• B.S. in a technical field plus 3 years of relevant experience, or M.S. in a technical field plus 1 year of relevant experience.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to plan, organize, and share information with management, peers, associates, and vendors.
• Ability to troubleshoot, analyze, and resolve problems.
• Must be able to work autonomously as well as in a team setting.
• Computer knowledge required for use of Microsoft Office products.
• Working knowledge of computer-aided design equipment and computerized processes preferred.

Skills

• Desired: Coding skills in at least two programming languages such as Visual Basic, C, C++, C#, VB, MATLAB, or Python.
• Fundamental understanding of statistics and process engineering.
• Technical knowledge and experience in Wonderware InTouch, Allen Bradley PLC, and/or other control systems.
• Experience with SQL, OSISoft-PI, and Azure Platform, and familiarity with artificial intelligence and machine learning concepts.
• Demonstrated proficiency with two or more programming languages (e.g., C, C++, Python) and SQL.
• Experience with data interfaces and communication protocols (e.g., TCP/IP) between data acquisition equipment systems.