R&D Engineer

Location: Vleuten

Ready to make a visible impact?
Are you an experienced engineer who wants more than simply executing predefined assignments? In this role, you will have the autonomy to shape technical solutions, lead R&D projects from concept to implementation and directly influence the future of our products.
As R&D Engineer, you are a hands-on, mechanically-minded engineer who takes ownership of our R&D lab and the physical equipment that our projects and our sales team depend on, from demo suitcases and pilot test setups used in front of customers, to the air-sampling equipment that determines how reliable our GC-MS measurements are. You keep the lab organised, maintained and continuously improved, including its inventory and logistics.

Alongside this, you combine mechanical design and fabrication with a working knowledge of electrical and instrumentation systems to develop, build and validate practical solutions in the laboratory. Your work will contribute to higher product quality, improved functionality, greater energy efficiency and reduced odor and environmental impact.
You will take ownership of multiple R&D projects, coordinating their technical and operational progress from start to finish. As a key technical contact for customers, you will translate real world challenges into innovative, reliable and manufacturable solutions. You will also work closely with Operations and Service to ensure that developments perform successfully beyond the laboratory.
This is an opportunity for an experienced engineer who enjoys both strategic thinking and practical problem-solving. You will join a small, multidisciplinary and international team where decisions are made quickly, expertise is valued and individual contributions are highly visible. You will have the freedom to challenge existing approaches, explore new technologies and test your own ideas.
To be successful in this role, you have:
You have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering or a related field.
You have at least five years of relevant experience, for example as an R&D Engineer, laboratory technician, manufacturing automation engineer or workstation designer.
You have strong, hands-on mechanical skills, fabrication, prototyping and mechanical design, and a working knowledge of electrical and instrumentation systems (wiring, sensors, basic troubleshooting) to support this work.
You are comfortable reading and working around PLC-based control systems (e.g. reading register/IO documentation, basic configuration) you are not expected to program PLCs from scratch.
You have experience with Solid Works and AutoCAD.
You have a good command of written and spoken English.
You have strong interpersonal and communication skills.
You work independently, proactively, accurately and in an organised manner. You will be the only engineer in the team day to day, so self-sufficiency and clear documentation of your own work are essential.
You are a self-starter who takes ownership of tasks and projects.
You hold a valid driving license.
You are willing to travel up to 10% of the year, mainly within the Netherlands and Belgium and occasionally farther abroad. International travel will be discussed in advance.

You coordinate R&D projects and ensure they progress from initial concept through experimentation and implementation. You are also an important point of contact for our customers.
Your responsibilities include:
Owning the R&D lab: keeping it organised and well maintained, managing inventory and logistics, and continuously improving the space and how it runs.
Maintaining and improving the demo suitcases and pilot test equipment used by the sales team and in customer-facing trials, with an eye for making them more robust and easier to use reliably in the field.
Maintaining and redesigning the air-sampling equipment (bags, lines, fittings) used ahead of GC-MS analysis, so that samples can be taken more consistently and measurement results can be trusted.
Planning, preparing and conducting laboratory experiments.
Managing R&D projects from start to finish.
Improving manufacturing processes and product quality and functionality.
Developing mechanical and electrical improvements.
Designing and automating manufacturing processes and workstations.
Monitoring project progress and setting priorities.
Translating customer requirements into practical technical solutions.
Working closely with the Operations and Service teams.
Contributing to the development of increasingly energy…