R&D Engineer - Equipment

World Centric; Stone Mountain (GA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

World Centric is seeking a hands-on R&D Equipment Engineer to join our engineering team on-site at our Stone Mountain, GA facility. You will maintain lab and pilot equipment, bring new equipment online, and set up processes as we scale compostable materials from bench to pilot production.

The ideal candidate has a Mechanical Engineering background with 10+ years of experience in manufacturing or R&D environments and strong proficiency with SolidWorks and industrial equipment.

Qualifications

• BS in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent
• 10+ years of hands-on engineering experience in manufacturing, pilot plant, or R&D environments
• Able to set up, run, and fix industrial equipment across mechanical/electrical/pneumatic domains
• Experience spec’ing and purchasing equipment and managing vendors through installation
• Basic fabrication skills (bandsaw, drill press, hand tools, 3D printing); able to run a CNC
• Proficient with SolidWorks or other 3D CAD and produce fabrication drawings
• Knowledge of conveyors, pumps, heating methods, and drying processes

Responsibilities

• Sets up, operates, and optimizes equipment including extruders, injectors, printers, presses, mixers, and downstream equipment
• Diagnoses equipment problems to root cause and coordinates fixes or vendor support
• Brings new equipment online and handles initial startup and placement
• Specifies, quotes, and procures equipment and auxiliaries, managing vendors from PO to installation
• Fabricates fixtures and small parts; coordinates outside fabrication for larger items
• Uses SolidWorks to layout equipment and generate fabrication drawings
• Maintains preventive maintenance schedules and safety procedures

Skills

Mechanical engineering

Hands-on engineering

Troubleshooting

Vendor management

3D CAD

Fabrication

Education

BS in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

Job description

Description

World Centric is a highly mission driven company that seeks to have a meaningful impact on people and the planet through our compostable products and the donation of 25% of profits to the most vulnerable in the world.

World Centric is a leader in providing innovative compostable packaging solutions for the food service industry. We are seeking a hands‑on R&D engineer to join our engineering team. This is a well rounded, on‑the‑floor engineering role in a startup environment with a focus on extrusion and molding equipment. The R&D equipment engineer works within a cross functional team of R&D scientists, engineers, and technicians to keep our lab and pilot equipment running, bring new equipment online, and set up new processes as we scale innovative compostable materials from the bench to pilot production.

This role will be located on‑site at our facility in Stone Mountain, GA (greater Atlanta metro area). This position will report to the director of engineering and commercialization. The ideal candidate is a self‑starter who figures things out first and then fixes them, works very well independently, and is comfortable spending most of the day on the floor.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Sets up, operates, and optimizes equipment including twin screw and single screw extruders, injection molders, heated presses and forming tools, mixers, dryers, and downstream equipment.
• Diagnoses equipment problems to root cause (mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, or controls), fixes what can be fixed in‑house, and brings in vendors or contractors for the rest.
• Brings new and idle equipment online: placement, utility hookups, initial start‑up.
• Specs, quotes, and procures new equipment and auxiliaries (feeders, dryers, chillers, pumps, tooling) and manages vendors from PO through installation and acceptance.
• Fabricates fixtures, adapters, guards, frames, and small parts using shop tools such as the bandsaw, drill press, CNC mill, and 3D printers; manages outside fabrication for larger items.
• Uses 3D CAD (SolidWorks preferred) to lay out equipment, design fixtures, and build drawing sets for fabrication.
• Performs routine care and maintains preventive maintenance schedules, spare parts, and equipment documentation including manuals, utility requirements, lockout/tagout, and operating procedures.
• Ensures safe operation of all equipment and adherence to safety procedures and housekeeping standards.

Requirements

Qualifications:Required:

• BS in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent 10 years of experience
• 5+ years hands‑on engineering experience in a manufacturing, pilot plant, or R&D environment
• Comfortable setting up, running, and fixing industrial equipment; able to troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, and basic control problems
• Experience spec'ing and purchasing equipment and managing vendors through installation
• Basic fabrication skills (bandsaw, drill press, hand tools, 3D printing); able to run a CNC
• Proficient with SolidWorks or other 3D CAD software and able to produce drawings for fabrication
• Basic knowledge of manufacturing processes including conveyors, pumps, heating methods, and drying

Preferred:

• Experience with extrusion, injection molding, presses, or similar polymer processing equipment
• Experience with facility utilities (process cooling, compressed air, electrical) and equipment layouts
• Experience setting up new processes or scaling from lab to pilot production
• Welding and machining (lathes, mills)

Logistics:

Position works full time out of Stone Mountain facility. Salary range: $75 - $130k, depending on experience.

World Centric welcomes applicants from all backgrounds and aims to find the people who not only meet the requirements of the job but also contribute to the culture in a way that recognizes our efforts towards the overall wellbeing of people and planet.

The culture and mission fit is important for us and these requirements include a strong awareness, passion and commitment to social and environmental issues; a high degree of competence, motivation, and initiative; and adaptability and ability to collaborate with others. We know most candidates will not meet all requirements, but we would like the opportunity to select from the most diverse candidate pool possible.