R&D Project Manager I R&D Project Manager I

Körber Group • Pine Grove Township, PA

107d

About The Position

Pioneer your career! Körber is the home for passionate people who innovate, collaborate and love what they do. Entrepreneurial spirit is our joint DNA. We develop future technologies and support talents to deploy their skills and reach their full potential. Together, we aim for being the first to do the right thing at the right time. Join the home for entrepreneurs! We are seeking a highly organized and results-driven R&D Project Manager to lead customer development projects and new product testing within Körber’s automation portfolio. This role is responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing R&D initiatives that bring innovative material handling solutions from concept to validation in customer environments. The R&D PM will work cross-functionally with engineering, product management, and customer teams to ensure projects are delivered on time, meet performance targets, and provide critical feedback for product commercialization.

Requirements

• Strong project management skills with a focus on R&D, product development, or early-stage technology projects.
• Ability to manage testing activities, analyze results, and translate findings into actionable recommendations.
• Effective communicator with ability to interface directly with customers and cross-functional teams.
• Strong organizational and scheduling abilities; adept at managing multiple priorities in parallel.
• Technical fluency across mechanical, electrical, controls, and software disciplines in automation or capital equipment.
• Problem-solving mindset with ability to navigate uncertainty and adapt plans as projects evolve.
• Comfortable facilitating collaboration across engineering, product management, and operations functions.
• Proficiency with project management tools (MS Project, Monday.com, Jira, etc.).
• Experience working in collaborative environments with diverse stakeholders.
• Effective communicator with ability to influence across technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong organizational, analytical, and troubleshooting skills.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Project Management, or related technical field; advanced degree preferred.
• 1-3 years of experience in project management within R&D, product development, or industrial automation.
• Demonstrated success managing customer-facing development projects and/or prototype testing.
• Experience with warehouse automation, material handling equipment, or capital equipment industries strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with structured R&D processes (stage-gate, V-model, agile development, or similar).
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 25-50% for customer development projects, field testing, and vendor collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end execution of R&D projects, from early concept validation through customer pilots and field testing.
• Define project plans, schedules, and deliverables in alignment with R&D objectives and customer requirements.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams (mechanical, electrical, controls, software, and product management) to execute testing and development activities.
• Serve as the primary project interface with customers, managing expectations, communication, and reporting during development projects.
• Oversee new product and feature testing in lab and field environments, ensuring proper documentation, performance tracking, and issue resolution.
• Track risks, dependencies, and mitigation actions across technical and operational workstreams.
• Manage third-party and offshore partners supporting R&D efforts, ensuring quality and timeliness of deliverables.
• Consolidate test results and customer feedback into actionable insights for engineering and product teams.
• Support stage-gate or equivalent innovation processes by preparing project updates, financial tracking, and go/no-go recommendations.
• Champion lessons learned and continuous improvement practices to accelerate product development cycles.

Benefits

• Flexible work environment that supports work-life balance.
• Paid time off for parental leave and 22+ days off for personal time and holidays.
• Access to medical, dental, and vision insurance plans with FSA or HSA options.
• 401(k) plan with a company match of up to six percent.
• Company-paid benefits including vision insurance, short and long-term disability, basic life insurance plans, and educational and employee assistance programs.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees