Research Engineer

About the company

Our client is an early-stage technology company.

The role

Raydar is recruiting for this role on behalf of our client. Lead technical projects for industrial customers from the first scoping conversations through final delivery, mixing hands-on engineering with direct customer contact. The work begins with practical, customer-facing problem solving and gradually shifts toward deeper research.

What you'll do

- Take charge of customer engagements from initial scoping through delivery of a finished solution.

- Speak directly with customers and partners to gather facts and understand their operating limits.

- Develop and implement optimization approaches for real operational challenges.

- Partner with a fellow engineer on technical direction and shared challenges.

- Move into longer-term research responsibilities as the role matures.

Requirements

What we're looking for

- A background in scientific research, such as graduate study, laboratory work, computational projects or published papers, in a physical science or related discipline.

- The engineering skill to convert scientific insight into practical, working tools.

- Confidence leading customer-facing work and seeing projects through to completion.

- A resourceful, hands-on style and a history of making progress where little structure exists.

- Willingness to work fully in person on startup hours.

Bonus points

- An advanced degree or substantial postgraduate research experience.

- Time spent at a research-focused early-stage company in a science or hardware-oriented field.

- Familiarity with heavy-industry settings or supply chains.

- Experience in work that demands creative ways of finding information, such as field research or investigative reporting.

Benefits

Compensation and benefits

- Base salary: USD 200,000 to 300,000 per year

- Health insurance

Location and work model

- San Francisco, CA, United States

- On-site, fully in person

- Full-time