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.
$125K - $175K *
Lead and optimize project management efforts, ensuring safety and efficiency while fostering strong relationships with clients and teams. Drive strategic improvements and mentor diverse teams to achie...
1 week ago
$125K - $175K *
Elevate project outcomes by leading diverse teams, ensuring safety, and driving effective communication. Leverage your expertise in construction management to enhance processes and foster strong clien...
2 weeks ago
Home Office - Principal Cost Analyst
$110K - $130K *
Champion cost analysis excellence across complex projects, ensuring accurate reporting and strategic guidance. Collaborate with teams to enhance cost control systems and drive successful project deliv...
3 weeks ago
$110K - $130K *
Lead the end-to-end delivery of enterprise SaaS implementations, managing budgets, timelines, and stakeholder relationships to ensure successful project outcomes and high client satisfaction...
2 weeks ago
Program Director for Construction Management (Owners Agent)
$157K - $283K *
Lead the charge in delivering large-scale infrastructure projects, managing client relationships, overseeing construction management efforts, and ensuring program success through strategic planning an...
Reposted 3 weeks ago
$120K - $150K *
Elevate product innovation by leading cross-functional teams to develop AI tools and workflows. Drive project momentum through hands-on prototyping and clear communication, ensuring alignment between...
2 weeks ago
$125K - $150K *
Unlock potential by building and optimizing the cloud infrastructure for innovative financial services. Collaborate with diverse teams, troubleshoot production issues, and enhance deployment automatio...
1 month ago
$125K - $225K *
Elevate project success by leading multidisciplinary teams in nuclear design and program management, ensuring safety, quality, and compliance across all phases of construction and operations for compl...
1 week ago
$79K - $127K *
Join a team that crafts impactful proposals for the Commercial Construction market, ensuring they meet ABB's standards of Clean, Competitive, Compliant, and Compelling, while fostering collaboration a...
Reposted 1 week ago
$170K - $185K *
Elevate user experiences by leading the design of complex healthcare applications. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to create intuitive interfaces that enhance clinical workflows and support hi...
2 weeks ago
Business Development Manager - INCS
$110K - $130K *
Develop and execute national sales strategies to drive growth in industrial networking and cybersecurity. Build relationships, identify opportunities, and deliver tailored solutions to clients in crit...
2 days ago
Project Delivery Manager - Engines & Power Generation
$95K - $143K *
Lead logistics and inventory management ensuring timely delivery of materials. Collaborate with teams for optimal material readiness and quality standards while enhancing supply chain processes and ex...
3 weeks ago
Project Delivery Manager - Engines & Power Generation
$95K - $143K *
Optimize logistics and inventory management processes to ensure timely delivery of materials and components for successful project execution, fostering collaboration across teams and maintaining high...
3 weeks ago
Sr. QA Test Engineer (Quality Assurance)
$95K - $130K *
Transform the quality assurance landscape by leading manual and automated testing efforts, ensuring enterprise applications meet high standards for reliability, usability, and performance while collab...
1 week ago
Senior Enterprise Business Process Architect
$130K - $160K *
Lead the transformation of enterprise business processes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness. Collaborate with stakeholders to architect solutions that drive operational excellence across the orga...
Reposted 6 days ago
$185K - $260K *
Join Reddit's Ads team as a Machine Learning Engineer, where you will design, build, and deploy machine learning models to enhance ad ranking, bidding, and optimization. This hands-on role involves ta...
Reposted 1 week ago
$135K - $160K *
Join Reddit's Ads team as a Machine Learning Engineer, where you will design, build, and deploy machine learning models to enhance ad ranking, bidding, and optimization. This hands-on role involves ta...
Reposted 1 week ago
$110K - $130K *
Unlock potential by driving technical sales engagement in power conversion and energy storage markets. Collaborate with diverse teams to align customer needs with innovative solutions, ensuring commer...
1 week ago
Principal Software Engineer, Platform
$225K - $285K *
Elevate your career by defining the technical strategy for a core platform, leading high-scale distributed systems, and mentoring engineers while driving innovation across multiple teams in a dynamic...
1 week ago
$104K - $130K *
Join a team that's driving project success in mission-critical environments. As a Project Manager, you'll oversee design and construction phases, manage stakeholder relations, and ensure project profi...
3 weeks ago
$150K - $180K *
Champion the future of healthcare by leading cutting-edge ML research in NLP and clinical AI. Collaborate with experts to translate innovative ideas into impactful solutions that enhance patient outco...
5 days ago
$69K - $101K *
Empower our Micro-Fulfillment Operations team by ensuring optimal performance and reliability of automated systems. Engage with customers to troubleshoot and resolve complex technical issues, enhancin...
2 days ago
Forward Deployed Engineer (Principal)
$132K - $211K *
Unlock potential by serving as a key technical leader, bridging engineering and enterprise architecture to eliminate adoption friction and enhance cloud-native infrastructure and AI platform deploymen...
Reposted 2 weeks ago
$165K - $175K *
Shape the future of the Ontology Platform by driving data engineering initiatives, collaborating with stakeholders to deliver impactful solutions, and managing onboarding processes for new data source...
4 weeks ago
Product Manager - Service Engineering
$112K - $126K *
Join us to lead strategic investments in Service Engineering and Technical Publications, driving innovation through AI technologies. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance product lifecycl...
3 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.