R&D Composites Engineer

<div class="content-intro"><p><a href="https://www.selkirk.com/pages/about-us" target="_blank"><strong>About</strong></a><strong> Selkirk Sport</strong></p> <p>At Selkirk Sport, we’re passionate about pushing the boundaries of pickleball innovation. Our mission is to <em>Fuel the Pickleball Obsession</em> by creating the sport’s premier products and ecosystem. As a leading global brand in premium pickleball equipment, we’re expanding our international presence and seeking top-tier talent to support our growth in the U.S. and abroad.</p> <p>We pride ourselves on a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Selkirk applies first-principles thinking to design scalable, process-driven systems that create lasting operational advantage.</p></div><div> <p>Selkirk is seeking a highly motivated Senior R&amp;amp;D Engineer to support the development,&nbsp;optimization, and production scaling of advanced composite sporting goods products across<br>our Asian supplier network. This role will serve as a key technical liaison between Selkirk&nbsp;engineering teams and manufacturing partners in Vietnam and China.&nbsp;The ideal candidate has strong experience in composite materials, molding processes,&nbsp;tooling, and supplier manufacturing environments, with the ability to drive process&nbsp;improvements, solve technical challenges, and support new product development from<br>concept through production.</p> <p>This position requires strong communication skills in both Mandarin and English, along&nbsp;with the ability to work effectively across cultures and manufacturing environments.</p> <h2><strong>Key Responsibilities</strong></h2> <ul> <li>Serve as Selkirk’s onsite engineering representative with manufacturing partners in Vietnam and China.•&nbsp; Lead composite process development and manufacturing optimization for high- performance sporting goods products.</li> <li>Work directly with suppliers to improve quality, consistency, yield, and production efficiency.</li> <li>Support new product introduction (NPI) activities including prototype builds, pilot runs, process validation, and production ramp-up.</li> <li>Evaluate and optimize molding parameters including temperature, pressure, cycle time, cure profiles, and material flow.</li> <li>Support tooling development, mold validation, and manufacturing readiness activities.</li> <li>Troubleshoot composite manufacturing issues including delamination, voids, warpage, dimensional variation, cosmetic defects, and bonding issues.</li> <li>Collaborate closely with Selkirk R&amp;amp;D, Quality, Product Management, and Operations teams.</li> <li>Drive continuous improvement initiatives related to process capability, manufacturing repeatability, and product performance.</li> <li>Support supplier audits, technical reviews, and engineering documentation.</li> <li>Assist in material evaluations, testing, and validation of new composite technologies and manufacturing methods</li> <li>Travel regularly to supplier facilities and Selkirk team locations throughout Asia as&nbsp;required.</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2><strong>Qualifications</strong></h2> <h3><strong>Required:</strong></h3> <ul> <li>Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Manufacturing&nbsp;Engineering, Composite Engineering, or related technical field.</li> <li>Minimum 5 years of experience in composite engineering, composite manufacturing, or&nbsp;advanced materials product development.</li> <li>Strong knowledge of composite molding processes, tooling systems, and manufacturing&nbsp;optimization.</li> <li>Hands-on experience with carbon fiber and fiberglass composites, resin systems, curing&nbsp;processes, compression molding, thermoforming, adhesive bonding systems, and process&nbsp;optimization.</li> <li>Understanding of manufacturing variables including pressure, temperature, cycle time,&nbsp;cure profiles, and material flow.</li> <li>Experience troubleshooting composite manufacturing defects and process-related quality&nbsp;issues.&nbsp;</li> <li>Experience working directly with manufacturing suppliers and factory engineering teams.</li> <li>Fluent in both Mandarin Chinese and English (spoken and written).<br>• Willingness and ability to travel frequently within Asia.</li> </ul> <h3><strong>Preferred:</strong></h3> <ul> <li>Experience in sporting goods industries such as pickleball, tennis, golf, cycling, hockey, or&nbsp;other composite-intensive consumer products.</li> <li>Experience supporting manufacturing operations in both Vietnam and China.</li> <li>Familiarity with APAC supplier management and cross-cultural engineering collaboration.</li> <li>Experience with product validation, testing, and Design for Manufacturability (DFM).</li> <li>Knowledge of lean manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies.</li> </ul> </div> <p><br><br></p>