R&D Engineer

XPEL•San Antonio, TX

8d•Onsite

About The Position

This individual will be supporting XPEL’s R&D activities while also lending support to analytical laboratory quality/Manufacturing teams as required across all of XPEL’s product portfolio and help drive efficiency and expand on current capability as appropriate to XPEL’s business needs. You must be able to thrive and succeed in an entrepreneurial environment, and not be hindered by ambiguity or competing priorities. The ideal candidate for this position is a detail-oriented individual with strong analytical and problem-solving skills, capable of understanding our products and acknowledging with ease its strengths and limitations with the intent to steer the development and evolution of our solutions. The candidate also has very strong communication skills and manages to communicate with a variety of stakeholders within XPEL. The preferred location for this role will be at out of our office in San Antonio, TX. The Sr. R&D Engineer will report to the Director of Technology.

Requirements

Strong technical background in polymer/material science, coatings, and associated technologies
In-depth knowledge of coatings and/or adhesive chemistry, UV curing, photopolymerization applicable to industrial scale operations
A background in thermal, mechanical, and optical properties for polymer multilayer films using advanced analytical tools like DMA/DHR, DSC, FTIR, TGA, profilometer, optical microscopy, etc.
Knowledge in polymer film processing, roll to roll, sheet extrusion and related technologies
Strong understanding of design of experiments and corresponding data analysis
Experience working with domestic and international vendors
Minimum of Bachelor’s degree in STEM with 5-10 years of relevant experience.
Experience working with interdisciplinary teams to drive programs from concept to production/commercialization

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead and oversee the development of XPEL’s core technologies.
Work with Quality/manufacturing, and supply chain to identify and secure key strategic materials for existing and new PPF, coatings, and related technologies
Provide robust technical solutions to new product development initiatives and lend support to sales and product management teams
Bridge the gap from bench scale testing to industrial manufacturing processes
Knowledge build and assess risk & factor all relevant industrial process & material validation on product performance through its life cycle
Develop plans and procedures for specifications & fabrication of components, integration of technologies, balancing cost & manufacturability
Serve as technical interface to vendors and manufacturers
Maintain meticulous documentation of work performed
Provide leadership to the junior technical team
Willingness to engage in domestic and worldwide travel to coordinate work with suppliers, manufacturers and customers (up to 20%)