R&D Engineer

Job Title
R&D Engineer
Job ID
27557220
Location
Fontana,  CA
Other Location
Description

Position Summary

As a member of the North America New Product Innovation (NPI) Group, the Senior NPI Engineer coordinates day to day activities related to the New Production Innovation Process (Discovery, Concept Feasibility, Development, Implementation, Post-implementation). This includes activities related to, but not limited to, market feedback, product development, process development, production validation, manufacturing scale-up, commercialization testing and regulatory compliance. 

This role will be based in Fontana CA reporting to the Sr. R&D Manager for New Product Innovation. Projects will occur across all US operating plants and therefore require up to 50% travel. 

Position Responsibilities

•               • Coordinate / manage all aspects within new product development project

•               • Lead coordination, tracking, and reporting of multiple project schedules within a fast-paced product development environment

• Responsible for organizing and driving all technical activities (R&PD, quality, manufacturing, engineering, commercial) related to the commercialization of new products; from customer interviews to mass production: o Support market research activities through timely development of prototypes at various scales (renderings, 3d rapid prototypes, full scale façade walls)

o Act as the product expert in market research

o Create the specification to product requirements based on Voice of Customer and Designed for Manufacture

o Deliver technical solutions that meet above needs; and validate Customer Acceptance & Manufacturing Capability

o Implement in current & new James Hardie manufacturing processes to enable product launch at scale and cost

 

• Critically review technical work product (capability studies, DOEs, stack-up tolerance reviews) and provide feedback to the product development team

• Communicate project status & project risk within global Research & Development, across business functions and across multiple levels in the organization

• Bring forth new product concepts by distilling market insights stemming from customer interactions and analysis of industry macro trends

• Identify, prioritize and manage cross-functional initiatives to improve manufacturability & market acceptance of product

• Coaching of junior team members in both technical and project management principles

• Cross-functional consultation to provide product leadership amongst technology, engineering, manufacturing, marketing and commercialization professionals

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Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

•               • Excellent communication and negotiation skills with ability to interface effectively with others at all levels of the organization, ranging from senior vice presidents to manufacturing floor teams 

•               • Knowledge of market research feedback analysis principles (eg. Quality Function Deployment, House of Quality, KJ Analysis, etc)

•               • Knowledge of lean manufacturing principles (eg. Kaizen, 6-Sigma, JIT, Set-up Reduction, Theory of Constraints, etc)

•               • Knowledge of technical risk, problem solving & decision-making tools (eg, FMEA, KT-Analysis, KJ Analysis, DOE, etc)

•               • Proficient in communicating using 2D drafting / sketching tools; eg, product assemblies, concept sketching, stack-up tolerances, GD&T

•               • Proficient in MS Excel, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Project

•               • Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to communicate and listen effectively at all levels

•               • Self-motivated with high sense of urgency, resourcefulness and adaptability

•               • Strong customer orientation

•               • Teamwork spirit, continuous improvement and servant leader mind set

 

Education/Experience Required:

Education / Work Experience:

•               • Minimum: Bachelor's Degree in an Engineering discipline such as Mechanical, Product Design, Manufacturing, Industrial, Civil, Chemical, or other technical related fields. 

•               • This person must have extensive working knowledge of product design, functional specification and new product implementation in a high-volume manufacturing environment. Market-side experience in Product Introduction / Launches is preferable. The ideal person should have 5+ years of managing product development workflows, from market research through market release; with 8+ years in general industry / product design experience. 

 

Examples of Competencies & Performance Expectations:

•               • Decision Making: Identifying and understanding issues; problems, and opportunities; comparing data from different sources to draw conclusions; using effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions; taking action that is consistent with available facts, constraints, and probable consequences.

•               • Technical/Professional Knowledge and Skills: Having achieved a satisfactory level of technical and professional skill or knowledge in position-related areas; keeping up with current developments and trends in areas of expertise.

•               • Building Partnerships: Identifying opportunities and taking action to build strategic relationships between one’s area and other areas, teams, departments, units, or organizations to help achieve business goals.

•               • Continuous Learning: Actively identifying new areas for learning; regularly creating and taking advantage of learning opportunities; using newly gained knowledge and skill on the job and learning through their application.

•               • Initiating Action: Taking prompt action to accomplish objectives; taking action to achieve goals beyond what is required; being proactive.

•               • Communication: Clearly conveying information and ideas through a variety of media to individuals or groups in a manner that engages the audience and helps them understand and retain the message.

•               • Negotiation: Effectively exploring alternatives and positions to reach outcomes that gain the support and acceptance of all parties.

•               • Gaining Commitment: Using appropriate interpersonal styles and techniques to gain acceptance of ideas or plans; modifying one’s own behavior to accommodate tasks, situations and individuals involved.

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