Associate R&D Textile Engineer

Job Summary: 

The R&D Textile Engineer will be a strategic member of the Core Product team. This individual will work with overseas and domestic suppliers in the development, problem solving and testing of new products. They will be responsible for ensuring products pass performance and regulatory testing as we enter new categories and geographies. The R&D Textile Engineer will be critical in bringing new products to mass production, while building and managing regulatory testing databases as the company grows.

What You’ll Do: 

Textile Testing:

• Be a key member in vetting yarns, fibers, and fabric construction in the early stages of sample creation
• Understand fabric performance by ad-hoc in-house testing using Martindale Abrasion, tensile strength, crock meters and other industry standardized machines 
• Take ownership and maintain, manage, and order parts for testing equipment as if it were your own textile science laboratory 
• Evaluate 3rd party lab test reports and make proper product recommendations for innovative, iterative product trials
• Perform quarterly and yearly product testing to ensure consumer quality satisfaction
• Enjoy the science. Apply systematic testing methods and quantitative data to problem-solve development issues 
• Tune into global webinars for the latest updates in textile regulatory testing
• Stand up quality control processes and standard operating procedures (SOP’s) both locally and overseas with internal and external QC teams 

Data / Vendor Management:

• Continue developing strong relationships with 3rd party testing partners (SGS, MTS and more)
• Engage with suppliers and ensure products adhere to all safety, legal, and regulatory requirements
• Drive the development of new products by creating and maintaining detailed testing timelines and record databases
• Identify potential supply partners through trade shows, conferences, and independent research
• Create new processes and tools to improve on SOP’s, supplier QC and information sharing across the organization (e.g., testing methods, QC tolerance processes)
• Conduct research to generate new product ideas that align with Ruggable’s value propositions

Cross Functional Collaboration:

• Work cross-functionally with Insights to understand customer complaints and issues related to launched products
• Collaborate with Product Management and Supply Chain to vet materials from new suppliers
• Share Core Product tests and learnings with Supply Chain’s Textile Engineer 

What You’ll Need to Have:

• Bachelor’s degree in Textile Science, Materials Engineering, or equivalent program
• Experience in fiber development and textile testing 
• Ability to travel between Asia and USA
• Ability to work evenings as required to interface with non-USA time zones
• Excellent project management and organizational skills
• Experienced with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint (Google Sheets and Slides) 
• Ability to own large projects and important relationships in fast-paced, unstructured environment 
• 2 years of experience in textile testing, product development, or another relevant function; other levels of experience will be considered depending on background

Preferred: 

• Experience building relationships with overseas suppliers
• Experience with CPG/Retail, especially with home products, textiles, carpeting, or apparel
• Proficient in Adobe Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator)