Innovations Engineer

29 Hanover Road
Florham Park, NJ 07932, USA

Description

LAPP is a family‑owned company headquartered in Stuttgart and a global leader in cable and connection technology. Founded in 1959, we are still fully family‑owned today. With around 5,800 employees, we are operating in over 80 countries – globally connected and regionally rooted. Working at LAPP means more: this is where inventive spirit and a hands‑on mentality meet cherished values and tradition.

We offer all employees the freedom to develop and pursue new opportunities. Flexibility and personal responsibility are just as important to us as a family‑friendly work environment. We value all our colleagues with their talents, ideas and perspectives.

SUMMARY

Under the general direction of the Director of Engineering, the Innovations Engineer is responsible for driving innovation initiatives across LAPP Americas, including R&D / technology exploration, technology scouting, prototyping, project management, and collaboration with global innovation functions. This role monitors emerging technological, regulatory, and economic trends to identify opportunities that align with LAPP’s long‑term strategic direction. Operating closely with the global innovation and advanced technology function (currently based in Stuttgart, Germany), this role enables LAPP Americas to proactively shape the future of industrial connectivity solutions.

This position is based out of LAPP Americas headquarters in Florham Park, NJ.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 1. Innovation Strategy & Technology Scouting (Primary Focus)

• Researches and evaluates new technologies, materials, manufacturing methods, and market trends to identify opportunities
• Maintains a structured network of technical, scientific, regulatory, and industry contacts
• Participates in relevant technical committees, trade shows, exhibitions, and industry events to stay ahead of emerging trends
• Identifies which committees, organizations, or events to engage with and develops business cases/justifications for participation
• Brings scouting results to global attention, participates in frequent topic alignments with global innovation team and aligns LAPP Americas innovation activities with global methods and concepts

2. Ideation Pipeline & Global Collaboration

• Gatekeeps the LAPP Americas Ideation Pipeline and leads monthly stakeholder touchpoints to accelerate idea qualification and progression into the Product Introduction Process (for product introduction and technology projects)
• Coordinates innovation inflow from Americas into global innovation programs (such as LAPP Incubation Program)
• Actively participates in LAPP Global Innovation Team activities and represents the Americas region in LAPP Tech Councils (e.g., EMC, Additive Manufacturing, DC systems)

3. R&D and Prototyping Support

• Supports R&D activities through hands‑on experimentation, feasibility studies, prototyping, and validation
• Works closely with LAPP Americas laboratory to test concepts, evaluate materials, and identify innovative testing methods, tools, and equipment
• Assists Product Engineering teams in developing next‑generation industrial connectivity solutions

4. Intellectual Property (IP) & Documentation Management

• Initiates and manages the IP review process for innovations originating in the Americas in close cooperation with Lapp Engineering AG for IP management
• Supports documentation related to invention disclosures, prior art evaluation, and patent coordination with Global R&D head and Lapp Engineering AG for IP management

5. Cross‑Functional & Customer Collaboration

• Maintains strong engagement with Outside Sales, Key Accounts, and customers to gather market insights and identify needs
• Builds relationships across LAPP Americas, APAC, and EMEA product development / engineering and innovation counterparts to ensure global alignment and knowledge sharing

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

This position has no supervisory responsibilities.

COMPETENCIES

• Strong innovation mindset with proactive, forward‑thinking approach
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills across internal and external stakeholders
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize and…