Process Engineer R & D

Owens Corning • West Chicago, IL

5d • Onsite

About The Position

The R&D Process Engineer (MPI) is a hands-on technical role responsible for developing, scaling, and industrializing new materials, formulations, and manufacturing processes for wood fiber and composite door products. This role sits at the critical interface between R&D and Operations, owning the transition from lab and pilot validation to full scale manufacturing, while ensuring process robustness, safety, quality, and cost effectiveness. Success in this role requires strong experimental discipline, plant level troubleshooting capability, and the ability to translate data into executable manufacturing solutions.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering or related field
• 2+ years of experience in process development, manufacturing engineering, or industrial R&D
• Demonstrated experience scaling processes from lab or pilot to production
• Strong working knowledge of DOE, SPC, and structured problem‑solving tools
• Proven ability to work hands‑on in manufacturing environments, not just in labs
• Strong technical writing, documentation, and communication skills

Nice To Haves

• Experience with wood fiber, composites, polymers, resins, adhesives, or press‑based manufacturing
• Familiarity with continuous or batch manufacturing processes
• Experience supporting plant trials, startups, or technology transfers
• Background in Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma
• Comfort working in ambiguity and early‑stage development environments

Responsibilities

• Lead scale-up of new formulations, materials, and processes from lab and pilot equipment to full scale production lines
• Translate R&D learnings into manufacturing ready process windows, control plans, and operating standards
• Lead structured root cause analysis using DOE, SPC, Six Sigma, and Lean methodologies
• Diagnose and resolve process instability, quality defects, yield loss, and throughput limitations
• Design, execute, and document plant trials, including clear hypotheses, success criteria, and conclusions
• Use statistical and process data to drive decisions—not assumptions
• Provide direct technical support to manufacturing teams during trials, startups, and sustained production
• Partner with Operations to implement process improvements, debottlenecking, and other process related initiatives
• Ensure smooth transfer from development into operations, including training, documentation, and risk mitigation
• Travel to manufacturing sites as needed to support trials and troubleshooting
• Ensure all development and manufacturing activities comply with Owens Corning safety standards and regulatory requirements
• Embed Design for Safety and risk assessment into all new process development
• Manage process development and capital projects from concept through implementation. Own end to end execution of process development and scale up projects, from concept through pilot validation and manufacturing implementation
• Plan and execute plant trials and process changes, including coordination of resources, materials, equipment availability, and cross functional support
• Track and manage project risks, assumptions, and dependencies, escalating issues early with clear data-based recommendations
• Collaborate cross functionally with R&D, Design, Quality, Operations, Maintenance, and Sourcing
• Communicate technical results clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, including leadership
• Ensure projects transition smoothly from development into operations with clear documentation, training, and ownership handoff

Benefits

• medical/dental/vision/life/disability/supplemental offerings
• 401k (company contribution regardless of employee participation – plus match)
• paid time off that considers full professional tenure (vacation, personal floating and standard holidays)
• Employee Assistance Services
• Stock Purchase Program

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level