Research & Development Manager (NxLite Corporation, Canton, MI):
Will supervise production employees and oversee the company’s coating, glazing, and glass production processes. Will manage R&D activities to develop and industrialize innovative vacuum plasma coating technologies, specifically PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) coatings for architecture and automotive applications using glass and polymers. Will design, develop, and troubleshoot the production of PVD coatings. Will organize the R&D structure and maintain the coater lab machinery to maximize coating performance.
Job Duties:
- Collaborate with other researchers and coater managers for the development of the coating competence at US and Canada.
- Introduce future products and new materials for the emerging architecture and automotive market.
- Plan and oversee coating development tests using coater tool.
- Determine the characteristic needs per test performed, record the required machine tools and capacity, request tolerances form specifications, determine necessary personnel, draw up specifications for quotes, monitor the installation of new machines, and manage new processes.
- Supervise test activities by reviewing the daily reports and adjust the test plans accordingly.
- Direct maintenance activities to keep coater running properly;
- Improve technical applications and coordinate engineering activities performed by technicians and maintenance teams;
- Implement objectives and quality standards described in the test procedures and requirements;
- Lead strategic PD and production meetings.
- Ensure compliance with E, H&S regulations and oversee staff training, and versatility.
- Manage, implement, and follow Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s);
- Lead daily coater team meetings and solve internal issues by structured methodology (5 why/ Ishikawa/ 8D).
- Create and direct internal improvement actions and associated follow-up actions.
- Review the effectiveness/efficiency of recorded and implemented corrective measures;
- Manage the training of operators/inspectors to improve actions, adjusting the training as necessary.
- Control conformity of testing instructions.
- Participate in general manager monthly meetings.
- Prepare PD and Production investment budget annually.
- Manage project planning and review studies for lab improvements.
Minimum Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree or foreign equivalent in Computer Engineering, Industrial Engineering or a related field plus 5 years’ experience with PVD glass coating technologies, development and production.
Experience must include the following, which may have been gained concurrently:
- 5 years’ experience with PVD ultra-high vacuum-based technologies, including plasma Sputtering technology, including management experience with PVD development and production in the architecture and automotive glass industry.
- 5 years’ experience utilizing architecture and automotive coatings stack technology including Low Emissivity coatings technology applied to automotive glass and solar control, and E-ITO -TCFs coatings technology applied to Polymers.
- 5 years’ experience with solar control Silver coatings technology applied to architecture and automotive glass and to Polymers.
- 5 years' experience with Thin Films Optical Analysis, Spectrophotometry, OptiLayer and CODE Technologies.
- 5 years’ experience utilizing PDCA cycles management; 8D analysis; minitab statistical tool; Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA); and Statistical Process Control (SPC);
- 5 years’ experience applying Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (PFMEA); Fault Tree Analysis (FTA); Design of Experiment (DOE); statistical process control; sampling size and power analysis.
- 5 years’ experience with process maps and metrics; cause and effect matrix; gauge R&R study; capability analysis; and multi-vari analysis.
- 5 years’ experience utilizing thin films structures analysis using profilometer and thin films optical analysis - spectrophotometry; and large size coater Buhler and Von Ardene for architecture and automotive glass.
Jobsite:
41600 Haggerty Circle S, Canton, MI 48188.
Full-time employment.
Apply by e-mail with resume to [email protected]. Reference Job #064172-003 in reply. Also, please take the survey using the link
https://assessment.predictiveindex.com/bo/44RM/RDDevelopmentEngineer_May2026_182206
This position is part of NxLite Corporation’s employee referral program and is eligible for an employee referral incentive.
