Shakespeare - Product Development Engineer

SHAKESPEARE COMPANY LLC, a Jadex Inc. company, is a US-based manufacturer of both industrial and consumer products for a wide variety of industries and applications. 

Shakespeare® industrial products are tailored to the customer’s unique needs and include custom engineered nylon resins, performance monofilaments, and conductive fibers used as raw materials in finished goods ranging from automotive components to medical applications.  The company operates under the Shakespeare®, Rino-Tuff®, and Weed Warrior® brands in the lawn & garden category and is a major player in the mass merchant channel as the primary universal fit solution for trimmer line, heads, and accessories.  The brand is known worldwide within the marine electronics industry for marine radio antennas with a portfolio of connectivity solutions and accessories to help keep boaters connected and safe.  Maintaining communications is of utmost importance to military forces across the world and Shakespeare®’s line of military antenna products plays a critical role in achieving mission success.

Position Summary

The Product Development Engineer’s primary focus is to create and deliver technology solutions, which align with our market needs, to drive growth within Shakespeare’s industrial businesses. The engineer will actively collaborate with the business teams and internal technical team to deliver on project milestones and commercialize new offerings which meet customers’ needs. The development process is managed from the initial customer request through final product transition to manufacturing.  Project consideration is given to product performance and cost enhancements which drive the businesses growth and profitability.  This position also provides technical service and advice to Sales, Manufacturing & our customers.

Responsibilities:

• Develop, commercialize & transition new products through to manufacturing. 
• Development process includes raw material identification, process development through experimental design, new equipment design, purchase & installation, establishment of testing protocol & acceptance criteria,  process scale-up & optimization, statistical analysis of process & product design capability, and final product transition including documentation of final product design & work instructions relating to the manufacturing process.
• Product and production management.
• Manage production of specialty commercial products that cannot be transitioned to manufacturing due to special equipment, process or product requirements.  This includes planning of materials & resource allocation, maintaining special manufacturing equipment & supplies, evaluation of new materials, process optimization, manufacturing engineering support, and documenting & maintaining of work instructions.
• Provide technical leadership and expertise for continuous improvement efforts that support other departments & our customers.

• Ensure activities are compliant with safety, regulatory, and intellectual property requirements and promote awareness. Promote good housekeeping practices in R&D department
• Support the Business Development Managers in task related to raw material procurement, scheduling and work flow.

Position Specifications

• BS in Engineering (Textile, Chemical, Mechanical or Materials Engineering preferred). 
• Experience in polymer extrusion processing in production or R&D (monofilament or fiber experience preferred).
• Experience in production of filaments for 3D printing is preferred.
• Knowledge of polymer characterization techniques for testing mechanical and thermal behavior is preferred.     
• Experienced in the use experimental design as a development or process improvement tool.
• High level of competency in statistical data analysis (statistical process control, analysis of process & product capability).
• Pragmatic approach to problem solving.
• Ability to work with cross-functional teams (Sales, R&D technicians, manufacturing operators, process engineers, maintenance, scheduling, quality).
• Excellent organizational, communication, and documentation skills.
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft’s Office Suite.

The above statements describe the general nature and level of responsibilities for this position, and are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of this position. Company management may assign other relevant, business-related duties.

At Jadex, we don’t just accept difference — we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products, and our community. Jadex is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer.