Reports To:

Head of R&D

SUMMARY

The Sr. R&D Engineer is responsible for developing advanced material solutions for protective and composite applications, leveraging expertise in material science and process engineering

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES
• Collaborate with customers and sales teams to capture customer feedback, identify unmet needs, and translate these insights into product requirements and specifications.
• Align with and implement Barrday's technology roadmaps while adhering to the company's procedures for new product design and development.
• Serve as an active participant or leader within cross-functional project teams, including operations, quality, and R&D, to develop thermoplastic tapes and fiber-reinforced prepreg systems.
• Apply expertise in polymeric and fiber materials, processing technologies, analytical techniques, and project management tools to innovate new product concepts, facilitate production scale-up, and oversee manufacturing transfer.
• Advance the development of next-generation BarrMax® UHMWPE tapes by evaluating new resin grades, optimizing processing methods, and establishing rigorous quality testing protocols.
• Oversee the BarrMax® R&D laboratory, including installation, maintenance and operation of the pilot line and relating the pilot line data and settings to the production equipment
• Provide technical support to sales initiatives aimed at capturing short-term business opportunities through strategic integration of existing Barrday technologies.

ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES
• Represent Barrday in technical discussions at trade shows and conferences.
• Travel requirements may range from occasional trips up to 10-20% of the time.

KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT
• Bachelor's degree in chemistry, chemical engineering, polymers, or materials science required; advanced degree preferred.
• At least 5 years of industrial R&D or engineering experience.
• Experience with thermoplastic resin chemistry, especially high-performance types like UHMWPE preferred.
• Solid grasp of material structure-process-property relationships.
• Familiarity with analytical techniques such as DSC and tensiometry.
• Excellent communication skills
• Working well in a team environment

WORKING CONDITIONS

The Senior Research and Development Engineer position involves both office duties and tasks within a material manufacturing and warehouse setting. This role often requires sitting while performing office work, as well as extended periods of walking and standing when working in laboratories or alongside the operations team in the factory. The position will regularly require travel or split time between the Barrday's West Pointe Drive site and BarrMax's IBM Drive sites in Charlotte as needed.

BENEFITS

• Access to medical, dental, vision insurance with wellness incentives.
• 401(k) matching options.
• Free life insurance, disability insurance and more.
• Tuition assistance.
• Paid holidays + paid vacation time.