R&D Engineer

R&D Engineer

DI exists to relieve the world of mediocre experiences and to create remarkable ones. Our people make the remarkable possible through an unwavering display of uncommon commitment each day.

The R&D team drives continuous operational excellence by empowering interdepartmental collaboration, integrating systems, and refining processes within physical and digital workflows. Through direct assistance with client projects and internal operational initiatives, The Lab helps to ensure that Dimensional Innovations consistently delivers remarkable experiences.

Reporting to the R&D Manager, the R&D Engineer I (OPS) role is responsible for executing, maintaining, and documenting internal R&D operations workflows. This role contributes to the effective operation of existing tools and systems while helping identify opportunities for process improvement and cross-functional alignment. It plays a meaningful part in enhancing operational efficiency, supporting margin improvement, and eliminating silos within the organization.

This position combines developing process knowledge with foundational data analysis skills to support trend identification, system improvements, and monitoring of implementation progress. The R&D Engineer I (OPS) works closely with the rest of the R&D team and other department leads to provide training, offer technical support, and contribute to continuous improvement of operational processes. Once updates to systems or procedures are made, this role helps document those changes clearly and consistently to support internal communication and future scalability. The R&D Engineer I (OPS) learns the team's tools and systems, ensures data and asset integrity, and builds foundational domain expertise under the guidance of more senior team members.

Essential Responsibilities/Functions may include but are not limited to:

• Execute assigned tasks reliably on client projects and internal initiatives, contributing hands-on to established workflows.
• Make routine decisions within established guidelines and escalate complex issues to senior team members when appropriate.
• Conduct data reporting across operations and accounting, covering capacity planning, labor tracking, inventory oversight, and project performance metrics.
• Manage project system setup by organizing project folders, configuring Wrike projects, and maintaining associated documentation.
• Support Wrike data integrity in collaboration with department leaders and project teams.
• Deliver performance visibility to operations teams through the data and reporting infrastructure.
• Identify issues and gaps in own work and immediate procedures; raise them for review and seek input to resolve them.
• Check details with supervisors to maintain accuracy; follow SOPs closely; flag inconsistencies for review.

Steward (Tools & Systems)

• Perform routine maintenance to keep the team's tools and systems healthy across physical and digital workflows.
• Stay current on software updates and emerging technologies; surface observations and ideas that support innovation, automation, and process improvement.
• Manage Wrike maintenance, project folder integrity, and BIM template library upkeep.
• Maintain BI dashboard and report integrity along with capacity tracking systems.
• Support data reporting and automation tools for operations and accounting, including capacity planning, labor tracking, inventory management, and project performance analysis.
• Ensure data and asset integrity within established practices, particularly for internal performance and reporting systems.

Document & Share.

• Develop clear, accessible documentation for R&D operations workflows and processes to support understanding and ease of use across teams.
• Contribute to team training sessions focused on R&D operations workflows and continuous process improvement, expanding scope and ownership over time.
• Contribute to training materials for both current staff and new hires, aligning content with evolving tools and practices.
• Maintain and update standard operating procedures (SOPs) using written guides, video tutorials, and organized file storage; support department-level training using these resources.

Collaborate

• Participate in cross-functional team activities; build relationships across DI departments.
• Work across departmental lines to identify friction points, resource and knowledge gaps; collaborate with stakeholders on solutions aligned with project goals and client expectations.
• Communicate clearly with team members; ask questions to stay aligned with team goals.
• Maintain active presence in relevant DI departments (Engineering, Design, Operations, Accounting) to understand each team's specific workflows and challenges.

Learn & Develop

• Build foundational understanding of the R&D OPS domain: operations systems, computational/BIM workflows, BI/data analytics, change management.
• Demonstrate curiosity and apply fundamentals under guidance; consult senior team members on more complex topics.
• Actively engage with training materials and the development plan as guided by senior team members

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities Required Knowledge and Skills

• Basic proficiency in tools used to support existing R&D OPS workflows: Wrike, Google Drive, Excel/Sheets.
• Strong organizational and administrative skills.
• Familiarity with online systems for project tracking, prioritization, and calendar management.
• Experience creating documentation for projects or technology initiatives. Introductory familiarity with BIM software (Revit), BI tools (PowerBI, PowerQuery, SQL), or CAD/3D tools is a plus.
• Exposure to scripting languages like Python, C#, or VB is a plus.
• Familiarity with general construction methods, material application, and manufacturing processes is a plus.
• Strong attention to detail and data accuracy.

Core Abilities

• Takes responsibility for assigned work and follows through reliably under general supervision.
• Passion and integrity with the drive to excel and deliver exceptional results.
• Responsive: resolves problems as they come up; escalates appropriately; uses available resources when prompted.
• Understands the basics of how systems interact across physical and digital workflows; supports team efforts to maintain established systems.
• Process-oriented while maintaining awareness of the big picture.
• Confident in providing well-supported, data-driven recommendations
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities with a customer-first mindset.
• Clear written and verbal communicator; demonstrates leadership by example.
• Adaptable to fast-paced, creative, and custom environments across all team levels.
• Able to multitask effectively, meet deadlines, and solve problems under pressure.
• Authentic team-player attitude; willing to help; uncommon commitment to clients and internal teams alike.

Education/Certification/Experience

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in a related field.
• Previous experience in fabrication, construction, or architecture industry is a plus.
• Operations Management, Information Systems, Architecture (with computational focus), Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Design.
• 1–3 years of relevant experience in Operations, Project Management, Account Management, or Business Development, with a focus on business operations and process development.
• Strong preference for experience with Salesforce CRM and Microsoft Excel.

Physical Demands The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms and stoop, kneel, climb, crouch, or crawl
• Employee must be able to talk and hear
• The employee must be able to occasionally lift and/or move up to 75 pounds
• Specific vision abilities required for this job include close vision, distant vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus

Work Environment Due to our onsite Fabrication process, the work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee may encounter while performing the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, employee may be exposed to wet and/or humid conditions, moving mechanical parts, fumes or airborne particles and outside weather conditions.