Innovations Engineer Job Florham Park area,New Jersey USA,Engineering

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

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 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

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)

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

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

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 manage competing initiatives
Ability to independently drive projects and deliver results with minimal supervision
Aligns with corporate values and adheres to organizational standards
Ability to travel domestically and internationally (approx. 20%)
Ability to build a technical network through committees, trade shows, customer visits, and university outreach
Strong relationship‑building skills with global counterparts

QUALIFICATIONS AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

Bachelor’s degree in plastics, chemical, mechanical, or electrical Engineering
Minimum of 3-year combined experience in research and development, technology mapping, innovation management or similar preferably in the industrial connectivity space
3-5 years combined engineering…