Director of R&D

Knowles Corporation; Liberty (SC); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid holidays

Medical, Dental, Vision plans

401k with employer matching

Life and AD&D Insurance

Employee Referral Program

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

Knowles seeks a Director of R&D to lead a 30-person engineering team across Liberty, New Bedford and Mexicali. You will drive new product launches, custom part design and manufacturability, aligning with the CD roadmap and Operations needs.

You will oversee DFMA, IP management, fast prototyping and stage-gate processes while guiding cost improvements and production collaboration to meet customer commitments and strategic goals.

Qualifications

• BS Degree in electrical or mechanical engineering from an accredited program.
• MBA preferred but not required.
• Minimum of 10 years’ experience in R&D, with 5 years in management is required.
• Multi-site engineering management experience is desired.
• Experience in capacitor design and manufacturing is desired.
• Experience with Stage Gate NPD processes and design for six sigma.
• Experience developing DFEMA analysis for risk mitigation of product designs.
• Prior involvement in implementing design for manufacturability at a cultural level.
• Passive component/circuits environmental, mechanical, and electrical testing experience.
• Working knowledge of processes for intellectual property management including writing and submitting patents.
• Experience with fast prototyping of new designs.
• Must have the ability to obtain a US security clearance.
• All applicants must be eligible to work in the US without restriction to ITAR documentation and materials.

Responsibilities

• Launch new products per the PLM roadmap and customer specs.
• Quote and design custom CD products for ease of build by Operations.
• Manage 30 engineers across Liberty, New Bedford and Mexicali plants.
• Ensure quotes meet market lead-times and designs meet CD specs and quality.
• Support Operations with DFMA, CAD accuracy, and weekly production meetings.
• Drive cost savings, scrap reduction, quality and labor productivity through DFMA.
• Lead IT resources for internal design tools like CD’s DesignBot.
• Project manage large orders to meet customer commitments.
• Collaborate with PLM for 3-year NPI roadmap and new product ideas.
• Ensure timely patent submissions for novel products and features.

Skills

R&D mgmt

Multi-site mgmt

Capacitor design

DFMA

Stage Gate NPD

IP management

Prototyping

Security clearance eligibility

CAD

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering

MBA (preferred)

Tools

CAD

Job description

The Director of R&D leads the team of engineering personnel with a primary objective of:

• Launching new products that meet the specifications outlined by the PLM team in the CD multi-year NPI roadmap
• Quoting and designing custom CD products that meet customer specifications and that are easily built by the Operations team

Duties & Responsibilities :

• Manage a group of 30 engineering personnel that are located at our Liberty, New Bedford and Mexicali plants
• Ensure quotes for custom parts meet market level lead-times
• Ensure the design of custom parts meet customer and CD specification and quality levels, while ensuring best practices in design for manufacturability
• Ensure design team meets the needs of the Operations groups that will be responsible for building the product, including design for manufacturability, CAD drawing accuracy, and attending weekly production meetings, etc.
• Support plant continuous improvement initiatives for cost savings which can include scrap reduction, quality improvements, and direct labor productivity improvements through DFMA
• Support the Operations team when questions and/or concerns are raised about the designs that are produced by this team
• Support the Operations team in projects involving cost reduction and improvement in production yield
• Provide leadership to the IT resources responsible for the internally developed software design tools such as CD’s DesignBot
• Project manage large orders to ensure customer commitments are met by Engineering and Operations
• Work with the PLM team to generate new product ideas in the development of the 3-year NPI roadmap
• Ensure the R&D team submit patents on novel products and features in a timely manner

Qualifications & Skills :

• BS Degree in electrical or mechanical engineering from an accredited program
• MBA preferred but not required
• Minimum of 10 years’ experience in R&D, with 5 years in management is required
• Multi-site engineering management experience is desired
• Experience in capacitor design and manufacturing is desired
• Experience with Stage Gate NPD processes and design for six sigma
• Experience developing DFEMA analysis for risk mitigation of product designs
• Prior involvement in implementing design for manufacturability at a cultural level
• Passive component/circuits environmental, mechanical, and electrical testing experience
• Working knowledge of processes for intellectual property management including writing and submitting patents
• Experience with fast prototyping of new designs
• Must have the ability to obtain a US security clearance
• All applicants must be eligible to work in the US without restriction to ITAR documentation and materials

About Knowles

Knowles is a leading manufacturer of specialty electronic components. We design parts that perform unique, critical functions for innovative technologies. Through extreme reliability, custom engineering, and scalable manufacturing, we enable businesses to succeed in the most demanding applications across medtech, defense, and industrial markets.

Our high-performance capacitors, RF and microwave filters, advanced medtech microphones, balanced armature speakers, and miniaturization products enable and enhance the performance of technologies with the power to change, improve, and save lives. Founded in 1946 and headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, Knowles has grown into a global organization with employees spanning 11 countries.

Why Join Us?

BENEFITS DAY 1

• Paid holidays
• Medical, Dental, Vision, and Prescription Drug Plans
• Retirement Savings Plan (401k) with employer matching
• Basic Life and AD&D Insurance, STD and LTD
• Employee Referral Program
• Competitive pay and benefits package
• Opportunities for professional development and growth
• A collaborative work environment focused on innovation and continuous improvement

Equal Opportunity Statement: We prohibit pay discrimination and discrimination of any kind based on race, color, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, or other legally protected status.

ITAR Statement: Please note that this position may require access to technical data controlled under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) or Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Applicants must be U.S. persons (citizens, lawful permanent residents, or individuals granted refugee or asylee status) or have the necessary authorization to access controlled technical data. Compliance with ITAR and EAR regulations is a condition of employment.

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