R&D Engineering Manager

Itape; Marysville (MI); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Itape, a leading materials company in Michigan, is seeking an experienced R&D Engineering Manager to lead development, transition, and integration of new technologies from R&D into production.

You will provide engineering and people leadership to the R&D process team, drive process and product development projects, and partner with Operations, Quality, and Supply Chain to align priorities and deliver strategic initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related engineering field.
• Master’s degree in engineering or management preferred.
• 10+ years of engineering experience and 3+ years supervisory experience.
• Strong competency with digital tools supporting digital transformation and data analysis.
• Strong mechanical aptitude with industrial process systems.
• Experience with extrusion, mixing, coating, and packaging processes preferred.
• Innovative, organized, self-starter with problem-solving skills.
• Collaborative interpersonal style with strong communication.

Responsibilities

• Create and sustain a safe work environment and support safety programs.
• Lead, coach, and develop the R&D process team and set direction.
• Provide performance feedback and career development support.
• Partner across departments to align priorities and execute project plans.
• Build vendor relationships and lead evaluations to accelerate prototyping.
• Oversee R&D’s technology pipeline and asset management.
• Drive continuous innovation by evaluating new technologies and processes.
• Apply DoE, statistics, and analytics to plan experiments and guide decisions.
• Establish strong technical documentation practices and clear recommendations.
• Utilize project management to define, plan, schedule and control tasks.
• Work with a union and facilitate teamwork and compliance.

Skills

Digital analytics

Data analysis

Mechanical aptitude

Problem solving

Communication

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Master’s degree preferred

Job description

Title: R&D Engineering Manager

Department: Research and Development

Immediate Supervisor: R&D Director

Status: Exempt

Position Purpose: Responsible for leading the development, transition, and integration of new technologies and process platforms from R&D into production. The R&D Engineering Manager will provide engineering leadership and people leadership to the R&D process team as well as leading process and product development projects.

Principle Accountabilities

• Create and sustain a safe work environment; support safety programs, encourage incident reporting, and support investigations/corrective actions.
• Lead, coach, and develop the R&D process team; set direction, expectations, and an execution rhythm
• Provide performance feedback and career development support to the R&D process team; build a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and professional growth
• Partner across R&D, Operations, Quality, Sales, EHS, Supply Chain, Finance, and other stakeholders to align priorities and execute project plans in support of strategic corporate initiatives
• Build strong vendor relationships; lead vendor evaluations, technical reviews, and collaboration to accelerate prototyping and problem-solving
• Oversee R&D’s technology pipeline and ongoing capabilities including capital deployment and asset management
• Drive continuous innovation by evaluating new technologies and processes, making recommendations, and initiating proof of concept testing
• Apply Design of Experiments (DoE), statistics, and advanced analytics to plan experiments, interpret results, and guide decisions
• Establish strong technical documentation practices; experimental plans, run logs, interpretive reports, work instructions, and clear recommendations
• Utilize project management skills to define, plan, schedule and control the tasks that must be completed to reach project goals
• Ability to work with a union and facilitate teamwork, open communication and compliance to the current collective bargaining agreement

Essential Skills and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in a related engineering field
• Master’s degree in engineering or management is preferred
• 10+ years of engineering experience and 3+ years supervisory experience
• Strong competency with digital tools that support digital transformation and data analysis
• Strong mechanical aptitude with industrial mechanical process systems
• Experience with extrusion, mixing, coating, and packaging process experience is preferred
• Innovative, organized, self-starter with great problem-solving skills
• Collaborative interpersonal style
• Strong technical and non-technical communication skills, including written and verbal reports, and presentations to diverse audiences