Senior Advanced Textiles Engineer

PIP Global Safety•Freeport, IL

About The Position

The Senior Advanced Textiles Engineer is a technical leader responsible for researching, developing, validating, and commercializing advanced textile and material technologies for electrical safety products. The role drives innovation in arc flash protective apparel, rubber insulating products, composite materials, and next-generation electrical personal protective equipment (PPE), with a focus on protection, durability, comfort, and compliance. The position serves as the organization's subject matter expert in protective textiles, fabric systems, material science, garment engineering, and manufacturing processes. It partners with Product Management, R&D, Operations, Quality, Regulatory Affairs, and commercial teams to develop products that protect utility, industrial, and electrical workers from arc flash, thermal, and electrical hazards. The engineer leads product development and material research, directs testing and validation, supports compliance and certification, collaborates on manufacturing processes, and provides technical leadership across project teams and customer-facing discussions.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Textile Engineering, Materials Science, Polymer Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field.
4–8 years of experience.
Technical competencies in advanced materials engineering, textile science, polymer technology, electrical safety products, arc flash protection, product design and development, regulatory compliance, testing and validation, manufacturing engineering, and risk assessment.
Leadership competencies in strategic thinking, innovation leadership, technical influence, project management, cross-functional collaboration, customer focus, problem solving, and continuous improvement.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree.

Responsibilities

Lead development of advanced textile, fabric, and material technologies for electrical safety products.
Drive innovation in arc flash protective clothing, flame-resistant garments, electrical PPE, and integrated protective systems.
Identify emerging material technologies, fibers, coatings, laminates, composites, and manufacturing methods that improve product performance.
Translate customer and market needs into technical specifications and product requirements.
Support technology roadmaps aligned with growth strategies and industry trends.
Serve as the technical authority for arc-rated fabrics and apparel systems, flame-resistant textiles, high-performance fibers and yarns, elastomeric and rubber insulating materials, composite electrical insulation materials, and protective laminates and coated fabrics.
Evaluate material performance, including arc flash protection, thermal resistance, electrical insulation, mechanical strength, durability and aging, chemical resistance, comfort, and wearability.
Conduct material selection and engineering trade-off analyses.
Develop and oversee product validation programs; partner with external laboratories and certification bodies; analyze test results and provide technical recommendations.
Support testing related to arc thermal performance values (ATPV), arc ratings, dielectric testing, electrical insulating properties, mechanical integrity, environmental aging, laundering durability, and wear-life performance.
Ensure products meet applicable safety, quality, and regulatory requirements.
Maintain expertise in relevant industry standards and regulations, and support product certifications and compliance activities.
Represent the company in industry associations, standards committees, and technical forums.
Collaborate with manufacturing teams to optimize textile and garment production processes and develop scalable manufacturing methods for new products.
Evaluate cut-and-sew operations, knitting and weaving, coating, lamination, elastomer and composite fabrication, seam construction, and garment assembly.
Lead root-cause analysis and resolution of technical manufacturing issues.
Mentor and provide technical guidance to engineers, technicians, and product development teams.
Lead cross-functional project teams and present technical findings and recommendations to executive leadership.
Support customer-facing technical discussions and major account opportunities.
Serve as a technical expert during product investigations and field performance evaluations.