R&D engineers turn ideas and scientific insights into practical products, technologies, and processes. They plan and conduct experiments, build prototypes, analyze results, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to move concepts from early research toward real-world use. Browse vetted R&D Engineer opportunities on Ladders, including roles paying $100,000 or more.
Responsibilities vary by industry and employer, but often include designing experiments, evaluating materials or systems, developing prototypes, documenting findings, and improving product performance. R&D engineers may also assess safety, quality, cost, reliability, and manufacturability while coordinating with product, manufacturing, software, and regulatory teams.
R&D engineering opportunities span technology, aerospace, automotive, energy, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, consumer products, advanced materials, and manufacturing. Specializations may include mechanical, electrical, chemical, biomedical, software, and materials engineering. The work can range from fundamental research to applied development and product optimization.
Employers commonly seek a relevant engineering degree and experience with technical research, experimentation, data analysis, and problem-solving. Depending on the position, valuable skills may include CAD or simulation tools, programming, laboratory methods, design controls, technical writing, and knowledge of industry standards. Strong communication and collaboration skills help engineers explain findings and align research with business and customer needs.
Use Ladders to explore vetted professional opportunities with salaries of $100,000 or more. Review each listing for its responsibilities, required qualifications, location, and compensation details to find R&D engineering roles that fit your experience and career goals.
Senior Production Engineer - DGX Cloud
$184K - $356K *
Drive the development and automation of reliable, scalable AI services across diverse cloud environments, ensuring optimal performance and operational safety for production workloads and distributed s...
2 weeks ago
$185K - $210K *
Partner with us to drive organizational performance and talent strategies that foster innovation and growth. As a strategic HR leader, you'll influence senior leaders and shape a culture of excellence...
Today
$110K - $130K *
Champion customer solutions by rapidly prototyping and deploying AI-driven applications. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance product capabilities and drive adoption, ensuring impactful...
Yesterday
$100K - $135K *
Drive impactful mortgage analysis through collaboration with cross-functional teams. Leverage industry expertise to optimize integrations, enhance product functionality, and document processes for tra...
Reposted 3 weeks ago
Sr. Software Engineer II, DevEx
$154K - $260K *
Develop AI-driven workflows to enhance CI/CD systems, ensuring safe, efficient software delivery. Collaborate with teams to reduce tech debt and improve production reliability while scaling engineerin...
3 weeks ago
Senior Software Engineer- Rust / C++
$94K - $176K *
Drive innovation in document processing by leading high-impact projects, shaping architecture, and optimizing performance in a queue-driven pipeline. Collaborate across teams to enhance AI products an...
6 days ago
Reliability Engineer Senior Manufacturing
$82K - $120K *
Lead the implementation of a world-class Reliability Engineering program, enhancing equipment reliability and production efficiency through innovative processes and cross-functional collaboration, whi...
2 weeks ago
Packaging Engineer - Regulatory & Compliance Manager
$98K - $164K *
Unlock packaging compliance excellence by leading cross-functional strategies to ensure global adherence to evolving regulations. Drive sustainability initiatives while championing innovative solution...
3 weeks ago
$125K - $150K *
Drive scalable data architecture by designing robust operational systems, balancing streaming and batch processing. Collaborate with founders and engineers to enhance real-time insights and drive impa...
Reposted 3 weeks ago
Senior Manager, Program Dev/QC
$110K - $130K *
Elevate your career by managing diverse EV projects, ensuring successful delivery through collaboration, strategic planning, and effective stakeholder engagement. Drive project excellence while naviga...
2 weeks ago
Software Engineer (Contractor)
$110K - $130K *
Build innovative technology solutions for Equity Portfolio Management. Collaborate with stakeholders to enhance functionality and maintain high software quality, while leveraging modern practices and...
Reposted yesterday
Engineering Manager, Reliability Engineering Flywheel - EDA Infrastructure
$224K - $431K *
Drive operational excellence by leading teams focused on incident management, maintenance, and customer readiness. Own the product roadmap while collaborating with infrastructure and service teams to...
1 month ago
$110K - $130K *
Partner with us to streamline operations by transforming manual tasks into efficient automation solutions. Leverage your expertise in Ansible, Terraform, and CI/CD to enhance productivity across diver...
1 week ago
$110K - $130K *
Innovate and implement robust disaster recovery solutions for enterprise DevOps, ensuring critical infrastructure recoverability. Oversee Jenkins, Bitbucket, and JFrog Artifactory environments while e...
1 week ago
$160K - $190K *
Transform biomedical discovery by leveraging AI to bridge virtual and real-world data. Collaborate with top scientists and engineers to innovate scalable solutions in drug discovery and clinical care...
Yesterday
Thermal-Hydraulics and Safety Analysis Engineer - Isotopes
$150K - $200K *
Engineer cutting-edge thermal-hydraulic safety analyses to enhance isotope reactor designs, ensuring compliance with licensing while collaborating across disciplines to connect safety functions and op...
4 weeks ago
$78K - $127K *
Join a team that's shaping the future of environmental infrastructure by designing innovative process mechanical systems for water and wastewater treatment projects across diverse industries...
4 weeks ago
Technical Leader - EMF Engineer
$115K - $130K *
Unlock your potential by leading research on electric and magnetic fields (EMF) and RF exposure. Collaborate with utilities and stakeholders to develop solutions and technical guidance for emerging en...
Yesterday
$80K - $90K *
Unlock your potential by designing prompt strategies that enhance data annotation and localization workflows. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to drive AI-driven solutions, ensuring quality and...
2 weeks ago
$120K - $145K *
Join a dynamic team to tackle end-to-end computer vision challenges, ensuring reliable performance in real-world conditions. You'll optimize models and systems for vehicle detection, tracking, and ana...
3 weeks ago
Applied AI Engineer, Enterprise
$150K - $180K *
Transform enterprise AI deployments by designing, building, and enhancing systems that drive significant business results while fostering strong partnerships with customers and engineering teams...
Reposted 3 weeks ago
Engineering Manager - Systems Triage (Metrics & Analysis)
$160K - $193K *
Lead a team to develop metrics and analysis tools that enhance decision-making for autonomous driving software. Engage in hands-on data analysis, manage workflows, and drive insights to improve system...
1 week ago
?Mechanical - Mid & Experienced Designer
$83K - $145K *
Join our team as a Mechanical Designer specializing in HVAC, where you'll lead innovative projects across diverse sectors, collaborate with engineers, and enhance client experiences through expert des...
2 weeks ago
$82K - $172K *
Advance your career as an Embedded Linux Software Developer, contributing to the evolution of mission-critical devices. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance networking capabilities and d...
Reposted 1 week ago
$120K - $150K *
Lead the charge in advancing AI safety research by defining impactful agendas, mentoring teams, and driving real-world change through innovative projects and collaborations with governments and AI lab...
2 weeks ago
What does an R&D engineer do?
An R&D engineer researches, designs, tests, and improves products, technologies, or processes. The role may involve experiments, prototyping, data analysis, technical documentation, and collaboration with product and manufacturing teams.
What qualifications are typically required for R&D engineer jobs?
Many roles require a bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline or a related field. Employers may also look for relevant research or product-development experience, technical problem-solving ability, and familiarity with tools or standards specific to the industry.
Which industries hire R&D engineers?
R&D engineers work in industries such as technology, aerospace, automotive, energy, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, consumer products, materials, and manufacturing.
How can I find R&D engineer jobs paying $100,000 or more?
Browse R&D Engineer listings on Ladders, where professional jobs are vetted and pay $100,000 or more. Check each listing for compensation, location, responsibilities, and qualifications.
What skills are useful for an R&D engineer?
Useful skills include experimental design, data analysis, prototyping, technical writing, and engineering problem-solving. Depending on the role, employers may also value CAD, simulation, programming, laboratory methods, or regulatory knowledge.