Research Engineer - Performance

About the role

The Performance Research Engineer will play a critical role in advancing TaylorMade's leadership in golf equipment performance. This role bridges physical testing, player testing, Tour-level data collection, and advanced analytics to deliver actionable insights that influence product design, product validation, and performance optimization. The ideal candidate is a hands-on engineer with strong mechanical aptitude, advanced data skills, deep golf intuition, and the ability to translate player feedback into clear engineering direction.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and execution of advanced performance testing protocols for golf clubs and balls, including lab, player, field, and Tour-based testing environments.
• Serve as a category-focused Performance Engineering owner for one or more product areas, with potential emphasis across Woods, Irons, Putter/Wedge, or cross-category initiatives.
• Support PGA/LPGA Tour and elite-athlete testing by collecting clean, repeatable, decision-ready data while operating professionally and respectfully in player-facing environments.
• Analyze large datasets from lab, player, and field testing to extract insights on ball speed, launch, spin, consistency, delivery, impact location, dispersion, and performance tradeoffs.
• Translate Tour and player-test observations into clear engineering recommendations, product questions, validation plans, and follow-up experiments.
• Develop and maintain automated data pipelines, dashboards, and reporting tools for performance tracking, project communication, and cross-functional decision-making.
• Collaborate with R&D, Product Development, Tour, Fitting, Consumer Insights, and Analytics teams to integrate player feedback and real-world data into product design.
• Conduct competitor benchmarking and present findings that influence product strategy, category positioning, and performance targets.
• Support the development of new test methods, instrumentation, normalization approaches, and repeatable workflows that improve testing quality and organizational leverage.
• Help train engineers and player test analysts on Tour-facing testing etiquette, data collection standards, and best practices for working with elite athletes.
• Performs other related duties and assignments as required.

Requirements

• Strong golf background, with low single-digit handicap preferred, and a deep understanding of equipment-player interaction.
• Demonstrated experience designing statistically rigorous experiments, including power analysis, Design of Experiments (DOE), measurement system analysis, and confidence-based decision making.
• Experience applying AI-assisted workflows to experimental planning, statistical analysis, test automation, reporting, and synthesis of complex engineering datasets.
• Ability to communicate complex findings clearly to technical and non-technical audiences, including R&D leadership, category teams, Tour representatives, and cross-functional partners.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively in cross-functional teams and contribute to a culture of shared learning, humility, and high-quality execution.
• Comfort operating in both structured lab environments and dynamic player-facing environments where priorities, schedules, and test conditions can change quickly.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Aerospace, Computer Science or related), Applied Mathematics, Physics, Data Science, or a related technical field.
• Master's degree plus 0-2 years of relevant experience, or Bachelor's degree plus 2-4 years of relevant experience.
• Experience with golf launch monitors, motion capture, or high-speed video analysis.
• Familiarity with advanced statistical methods (e.g., ANOVA, regression modeling, machine learning).
• Ability to integrate engineering judgment, statistical rigor, subjective feedback, and real-world testing observations into clear product development recommendations.
• Analytical, detail-oriented, intellectually curious, and comfortable challenging assumptions with data.
• Hands-on, proactive, and willing to move between lab execution, field testing, analysis, and executive-level communication.
• Collaborative and humble, with the ability to build trust across R&D, Tour, Product Development, and player-facing teams.
• Passionate about golf, equipment performance, and continuous improvement.
• Able to operate with professionalism and discretion around elite athletes, confidential prototypes, and competitive product information.

Benefits

• Health & wellness
• Performance bonuses
• Product discounts
• Holidays
• Paid time off

Pay

The expected annual base pay range for this position is $88,000 - $100,00