Senior R&D Engineer

Submissions from third-party recruiters or employment agencies will not be accepted. All candidates must apply directly.

Company Overview Electro Freeze/H.C. Duke LLC, a Welbilt Company, located in East Moline, Illinois, is a leader in the design and innovation of frozen treat equipment. Our product line includes solutions for soft serve, yogurt, shake, frozen beverages, hard pack/gelato batch freezers, and flavor systems.

Position Overview The Senior R&D Engineer leads the development of new technologies, products, and product improvements for commercial frozen treat equipment. This role is responsible for concept development, system architecture, prototype design, validation testing, and product commercialization activities that support the growth of the Company's product portfolio.

This position serves as a technical leader within the engineering organization, driving innovation initiatives and providing engineering direction across cross-functional teams. The role combines hands-on engineering with system-level product development responsibility, to deliver innovative, practical, and manufacturable solutions.

Key Responsibilities Own projects, from concept through commercialization, including system architecture, technical decision-making, validation activities, and cross-functional coordination.

Lead hands-on prototyping, fabrication, assembly, testing, and troubleshooting, to prove out concepts and new technologies.

Create and execute, engineering test plans to evaluate product performance, reliability, food quality, safety, usability, and manufacturability.

Develop, review, and approve CAD models, engineering drawings, bills of material, and engineering documentation.

Lead technical investigations, root cause analysis, and problem-solving activities involving complex engineering challenges.

Evaluate new technologies, materials, components, manufacturing methods, and supplier capabilities to support innovation and competitive differentiation.

Collaborate with Manufacturing, Quality, Procurement, Service, Regulatory, and Operations teams to ensure successful product implementation.

Drive value engineering, design-for-manufacturability, design-to-cost, and product optimization initiatives

Support intellectual property development, invention disclosures, competitive benchmarking, and technology roadmap activities.

Support certification, compliance, and agency approval activities including UL, NSF, CE, and related standards.

Benefits:

Employer sponsored benefits:

Employee group term life insurance and AD&DShort
-term and long-term disability

Company HSA contribution for HDHPEmployee assistance program

Financial wellness services

Travel assistance

Annual discretionary 401k bonus
10 paid holidays

Paid time off Annual PPE reimbursement program

Voluntary benefit offerings:

Medical insurance (PPO and HDHP with HSA)
Prescription benefits

Dental insurance

Vision benefits

Medical and dependent care flexible spending accounts

Additional voluntary life insurance and AD&D, including dependent coverage

Supplemental plans (Critical illness, accident insurance, hospital indemnity)
Group legal coverage and identity theft protection
401k program with a company match

Job Requirements Advanced knowledge of engineering principles, product development methodologies, and system-level design practices.

Provide technical direction and mentorship to engineers, technicians, suppliers, and external development partners.

Demonstrated ability to lead complex technical projects and engineering initiatives from concept through implementation.

Strong understanding of mechanical design, thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid systems, and electromechanical product development.

Proficiency with CAD software including Solid Works or similar design platforms.

Ability to perform engineering analysis, product validation, testing, and advanced troubleshooting activities.

Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, materials, tolerancing, and design-for-manufacturability principles.

Ability to define technical requirements and translate concepts into practical engineering solutions.

Strong communication and collaboration skills with the ability to influence…