Application Engineer

James Hardie Building Products Inc. is the North American leader in fiber cement home siding and exterior design solutions. Hardie® products offer long lasting beauty and endless design possibilities with trusted protection and low maintenance. The company pioneered modern fiber cement building products and continues to invest in innovation to transform the industry. James Hardie is a high-performance organization, with an unwavering commitment to Zero Harm. The company proudly employs a diverse workforce of over 3,000 employees across operations in North America.

Make your dream career a reality. It’s possible!

Onsite from the Fontana, CA Research & Development Facility

Our Global Research & Development (R&D) teams are focused on market driven innovation to deliver high impact new products that enable future growth.  Our teams provide a continuous pipeline of innovative new products and technologies, while leveraging James Hardie’s core value propositions of durability and low maintenance.  Our role is to act as the technology pipeline for the global organization and ensure long-term performance of our products in current and future markets.

Primary Purpose

We have an immediate opening for a Application Engineer.  As member of the North America R&D Team, this role will coordinate day to day activities related to product and installation process innovation working projects through the Hardie Innovation Phase-Gate System from Scoping to Deployment. This includes activities related to, but not limited to, market feedback, product development, process development, working with vendors, field validation, field (jobsite) scale-up, commercialization testing and regulatory compliance. 

From scoping to deployment - the role is to manage workstreams, execute key tasks listed in the project timelines and monitor the output of all key deliverables.

The successful candidate will plan and implement specified and collaborative projects, particularly new product development projects, and keep them on schedule from start to completion date. This role will be based in Fontana CA reporting to the R&D Application Engineering Manager.  Projects will occur across North America and therefore require up to 50% travel.

What You'll Do:

• Through customer ethnography discover and drive installation (and channel) pain points into the PD team
• Capture the voice of the installer and then work to design systems, support, and accessories based on the learning
• Capture market trends in systems, functions, and building science – use this to feed new product design and system design
• Partner with Technical Sales Team to assist on sales tools development
• Partner with Technical Sales Group to perform product demonstrations as needed to support test selling

• Develop workstreams to study and understand product installation costs
• Use lean manufacturing principles and methodologies for product installation process improvement working to minimize product waste and optimize installation processes
• Use data analysis to identify areas for improvement and measure the impact of lean practices on the installation process.
• Leverage technology, software, and tools to enhance lean practices and data collection.
• Develop installer standard work based on installer needs and install process optimization need
• Optimize existing products and systems integrating new technologies
• Support sales and key customer accounts (engineers, architects, builders, GCs, installers) with product installation
• Work as our business representative within targeted industry Trade Associations

What You'll bring:

• Knowledge of lean manufacturing principles (e.g., Identification of Waste, A3 Reports, Kaizen, Standardized Work, Continuous Flow, Just in Time, SMED, etc.)
• Knowledge of technical risk, problem solving & decision-making tools (e.g., FMEA, KT-Analysis, DOE, etc.)
• Strong project management and communication skills with the ability to interface with others (architects, engineers, contractors, product installers)
• Engineering degree in relevant field (Civil, Mechanical, Industrial, Mechatronics, Architectural, or Building Science)
• The ideal person should have 4+ years experience working in construction, product development, product application, process design, or manufacturing
• Experience with Six Sigma or Toyota Production System (TPS) is a plus

What You’ll Receive:

At James Hardie, we recognize that our success depends on our people. We've worked hard to build a generous and competitive benefits program that demonstrates our commitment to our employees.

• Comprehensive low-cost co-pay Health Insurance; medical, dental, prescription, and vision insurance benefits for every 30+ hour full-time employee. Insurance starts on day one!
• 401(k) Retirement plan that will match 100% of employees saved dollars up to the first 6% of your salary
• Paid holidays, paid vacation including Jury Duty and bereavement leave
• Wellness Program
• Employee Assistance Program
• Parental Leave
• Community Involvement & Sustainable Solutions - Fire Resistant Siding to Help Rebuild the Grizzly Flats Community | James Hardie
• And more

The expected compensation range for this position is between $98K and $120K. Actual pay will be adjusted based on experience, market conditions, and other job-related factors permitted by law. This position qualifies for benefits which may also include a discretionary bonus.

                                                      Apply now and come “home” to Hardie!

#LI-FS1

James Hardie Building Products Inc. is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, genetic information, veteran's status, marital status, pregnancy, disability, or any other basis protected by law.