R&D Manager

Guided Search Partners (GSP)

Guided Search Partners is an Executive Search firm built on Trust, Transparency, Specialization, and Long-term Relationships. We connect high-performing professionals with organizations that value people, performance, and growth—helping leaders find roles where they can make an impact and build meaningful careers.

We’re supporting a medical device manufacturing organization searching for a R&D Manager in New Jersey. This role serves as a key link between customer concepts and manufacturing execution, helping take ideas from early concept through commercialization. The R&D Manager will work in a highly technical, customer-facing environment and support product development, manufacturing readiness, tooling, process development, and project execution. This is a strong opportunity for someone who enjoys solving complex engineering challenges, working directly with customers, and partnering across technical teams to bring new products into production.

You’ll support product development and technical project execution from concept through production launch.

Key areas of focus include:

• Transform customer concepts into manufacturable products
• Support customers through the product development lifecycle
• Lead product development efforts involving thermoplastics, injection molding, and medical device manufacturing
• Evaluate customer requirements and develop practical manufacturing solutions
• Support product design, mold flow analysis, simulation, and meshing work
• Support tooling, process development, and manufacturing readiness activity
• Serve as a customer-facing technical resource throughout the development process
• Manage multiple customer projects at the same time
• Transition projects to program management once products move into repeat production
• Work closely with program management, validation, manufacturing, tooling, and process development teams
• Partner with validation resources to support qualification activities
• Coordinate work across departments without direct management responsibility
• Support on-time and on-budget project execution
• Participate in design reviews, specification reviews, tooling kickoff meetings, and lessons learned meetings
• Support APQP documentation, including DOE, FMEA, process flowcharts, control plans, capability studies, and Gage R&R
• Support change control activity related to engineering documentation
• Work with suppliers as required to support project timing and quality requirements
• Support troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and process improvement activity

You are a technical, customer-facing engineering professional who can translate early product ideas into manufacturable solutions. You are comfortable working across departments, managing multiple priorities, and helping move projects from concept through launch. You can communicate with customers, technical teams, and internal stakeholders while keeping timelines, requirements, and project risks in view. You would do well here if you are a self-starter with strong mechanical aptitude, strong problem‑solving skills, and experience supporting medical device or life science manufacturing programs.

• 4-year engineering, technical, or management degree, or equivalent experience
• Graduate degree in engineering, technical, or management discipline preferred
• 5+ years of experience in program management, technical project management, manufacturing, or product design/R&D
• Medical device or life science industry experience required
• Product design, program/project management, and tight-tolerance manufacturing experience required
• Strong injection molding, thermoplastics, and medical device manufacturing background
• Experience with mold flow analysis, simulation, meshing tools, and Design for Manufacturability
• Ability to take products from concept through commercialization
• Ability to read blueprints and technical documents
• Understanding of ANSI/ISO drawing standards and GD&T preferred
• Solid Works experience preferred
• Knowledge of GMP/ISO quality systems required
• Knowledge of quality inspection tools, SPC, TQM, Six Sigma, or Lean preferred
• Progressive stamping,…