R&D Project Manager

Summary

The R&D Project Manager leads new product development and continuous improvement projects for our car wash equipment portfolio, guiding them from concept through production launch. Acting as the hub between mechanical, electrical/controls, software, and chemistry teams, this role keeps complex, cross-functional projects aligned on scope, schedule, and budget.

Roles & Responsibilities

• Lead the full lifecycle of R&D and new product development projects, from requirements definition and concept through prototyping, testing, validation, and production handoff.
• Build and maintain project plans, schedules, budgets, and risk registers; track milestones and proactively resolve blockers.
• Capture and manage requirements, coordinate cross-functional teams spanning mechanical design, electrical/controls engineering, embedded and application software, industrial design, and chemistry/water treatment.
• Partner with manufacturing and supply chain to ensure designs are producible, sourceable, and cost-effective (DFM/DFA, BOM readiness, supplier lead times).
• Facilitate stage-gate reviews and design reviews, and keep leadership informed with clear status reporting.
• Manage prototype builds and field/pilot testing at customer or in-house wash sites, including data collection and iteration.
• Own change management and documentation throughout development, ensuring designs meet safety, regulatory, and reliability requirements (e.g., UL/CE, electrical, and water/chemical handling standards).
• Coordinate with Product Management and Sales on requirements, launch timing, and go-to-market readiness.
• Drive continuous improvement of the R&D process itself—templates, tools, and lessons learned.
• Other duties as assigned.

Job Requirements

• Education and/or Experience: Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial, or Manufacturing Engineering (or equivalent experience); technical background strongly preferred over a purely administrative PM profile. 5+ years managing hardware or electromechanical product development projects, ideally in industrial equipment, capital equipment, appliances, automotive, or a similar physical-product environment.
• Functional/Technical Knowledge, Skills & Abilities: Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) is a must. Demonstrated ability to run cross-functional projects involving mechanical, electrical, and software workstreams simultaneously. Strong command of project management fundamentals: scheduling, budgeting, risk management, and stage-gate/phase-gate development processes. Comfort on the shop floor and at test sites—this is a hands-on, get-into-the-details role, not a spreadsheet-only one. Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate between technical teams and business stakeholders. Proficiency with project management and collaboration tools (e.g., MS Project, Smartsheet, Jira, or similar) and familiarity with PLM/ERP systems.
• Nice To Have: PMP, Agile, or equivalent certification. Experience with car wash, water treatment/reclaim, fluid handling, conveyor systems, or dosing/chemical equipment. Exposure to connected/IoT products, PLCs, or embedded controls. Experience taking a physical product from prototype through volume manufacturing.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to lift and/or move up to 20 lbs.
• Ability to stand, walk, bend, kneel, stoop, crouch, climb and use hands to grip regularly.
• Prolonged periods of sitting.