R&D Technician
This role will report into the R&D Director. Please note, all applicants will automatically receive an invitation to complete aptitude testing. The link will be in a message through Indeed, but it will not be a hyperlink. You will have to copy/paste the link into a browser to complete the testing. Only candidates that complete the testing will be invited to interview. You can complete the testing on your phone, and it should take 15-20 minutes.
Our R&D team is expanding, and our requirement is for someone who can complete testing procedures independently and accurately. We are a small team and if you show an interest and aptitude for material development you will have the opportunity to participate in material design and problem-solving. You will have the opportunity to work closely with the R&D Director and learn first hand how we design new products. This role is not desk-based, and you will be expected to be working in the R&D area or in our testing environment at all times, so this is a good fit for someone who likes to stay busy and works on their feet. A background in a scientific discipline is an advantage because you will understand the basics of why we need repeatability and reliability in our testing, but if you are smart and practical we can teach you what we need you to know. Computer literacy is a must-have since some of the test equipment uses a computer interface and we need you to navigate it quickly and accurately.
The challenge we are currently facing is that our material development skills and expertise are in a different league to our material testing environment. We need to add capacity to our team in order to adequately service all the opportunity we are generating, but our testing environment is constrained by the small footprint of available office space. We are in the process of designing a dedicated test lab out on the plant floor, but for the time being the current testing facilities are not glamorous, and are partially co-located with our break room. The purpose of highlighting this in the job advertisement is that we are looking for candidates who are pragmatic and practical about doing what it takes to be successful. Our "whatever it takes" attitude has saved the day countless times and we want to preserve that culture as we grow the R&D team.
The primary responsibility of the R&D Technician is to carry out property testing on finished goods, raw materials, and materials under development. The objective of this role is to:
- Support the Quality team with timely and accurate data to support the release of finished goods.
- Support the Quality team with assessing the properties of materials in QC Hold to determine whether they are fit for sale, or to assist in diagnosis of root cause of nonconforming material.
- Support the R&D team with timely and accurate data to support the iterative development of new materials.
- Support the Sales team with data sheet generation for new products to support sales opportunities.
When there are no immediate material testing requirements the R&D tech will assist with general R&D activities including but not limited to:
- Preparing batch mixtures of R&D materials.
- Producing samples on lab scale compounding equipment, including cleaning and changeovers.
- Producing samples on lab scale extrusion equipment, including cleaning and changeovers.
Desirable experience (not all are necessary):
- Previous experience in a research setting or laboratory.
- Previous experience working with plastics or an adjacent field such as chemicals.
- Previous experience working in manufacturing.
- Familiarity with ASTM test procedures.
Essential characteristics:
- Curiosity about plastics and their properties.
- A strong work ethic and no concerns about getting dirty.
- A passion for R&D.
- The ability to work independently.
- Computer literacy.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $25.70 - $28.40 per hour
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- Describe your experience of working with your hands - this can be in a professional or personal capacity. Are you a practical person willing to get your hands dirty if necessary?
- Describe your experience in material property testing - what tests have you performed and what equipment did you use to perform them?
Work Location: In person
