Research and Development Supervisor

About the role

The Development Supervisor is responsible for Product Development Project Management and/or individual technical execution to develop new processes/products and/or process conditions for improved product attributes or reduced cost of optical fiber. Scope includes receiving projects from R&D that have demonstrated product and process concepts with a promising Value Proposition and managing them to achieve demonstrated profitability with verified market channels. Scope further includes direct supervision and will be responsible for management of 4-6 salaried employees. This will include, but not limited to work prioritization, annual reviews, training, and administrative tasks.

Responsibilities

• Manage a structured product/process development and utilize the Innovation Process and relevant risk management tools to ensure on-time delivery
• Use established processes to identify concepts for manufacturing new and advantaged products and processes; design and execute product or process validation tests in a manufacturing plant; analyze data, draw conclusions, and make recommendations
• Manage a cross-functional team and apply traditional project management methodologies of performance, scheduling, and cost control; set direction, roles and responsibilities, and priorities for team members and self-directed work
• Collaborate with product or process design experts in other organizations
• Use scientific method to define problems, outline hypotheses, design critical experiments and use fundamental understanding to drive robust solutions
• Communicate and document results

Requirements

• Minimum BS or MS in any of Chemical, Material, or Mechanical (or similar) Engineering with 3 - 8 years of engineering experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience working on forming, coating, or coating application products/processes.
• Previous experience in both supervisory/leadership roles and project management.
• A process engineering background with emphasis on chemical transport and reaction processes as well as resultant product and equipment performance.
• Use the scientific method and fundamental engineering principles to solve problems thoroughly and effectively, using well-designed and executed process experiments.
• Drive for root cause fundamental understanding of challenging problems.

Qualifications

• Knowledge/experience in organic coating materials and application, free-radical polymerization and optical fiber draw and downstream manufacturing
• Experience in draw process development, experimentation, and/or process support
• Proficient in data analysis tools and techniques
• Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously
• Experience with UV-curable polymer coatings
• Product development and transfer into an industrial setting

Skills

• Project Management
• Product Development
• Process Engineering
• Scientific Method
• Data Analysis

Benefits

• Company-wide bonuses and long-term incentives
• Fixed contributions to a 100% company-paid pension benefit
• Medical, dental, vision, paid parental leave, family building support, fitness, company-paid life insurance, disability, disease management programs, paid time off, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Recognition program to celebrate successes and reward colleagues

Pay

$124,996.00 - $171,870.00 assuming full time status. Starting pay for the successful applicant is dependent on a variety of job-related factors, including but not limited to geographic location, market demands, experience, training, and education.

Schedule

Up to 25% National / by exception for International; primarily within NC or to Corning, NY for training or project collaboration