Research & Development Specialist

📍 Work Location: Onalaska, WI (100% Onsite Role)

💰 Compensation: $64,000 - $95,000 annually

Benefits:

• Eligible for wage increases twice annually
• 3 weeks of paid vacation in year one and 4 weeks in year two
• 8 paid holidays
• Health benefits start the first of the month following start date
• 401(k) with company match
• Quarterly profit sharing
  
  

About Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations

At Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations, we give electronics their next best life while protecting our planet and our customers' interests. As a Certified Great Place to Work® since 2017, we've built a team culture that's rewarding, engaging, and FUN! But don't just take our word for it—see what our Team Members have to say.

How We Hire: The Head, Heart, and Briefcase

At Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations, we believe great performance comes from alignment across three areas:

🧠 Head – your natural behavioral drives and cognitive agility

❤️ Heart – your values, passions, and what drives you to make a meaningful impact

💼 Briefcase – your experiences, skills, and results from past roles

You'll start with the Predictive Index (PI) assessment (takes less than 20 minutes), then move through structured interviews, work samples, and meaningful culture-focused conversations.

🌍 Your Purpose

As the Research & Development Specialist, you'll spend your days turning ideas into reality. You'll research, prototype, test, and help scale innovative solutions that elevate our circuit board processing equipment and drive value for Dynamic. Your work will uncover new business opportunities, generate meaningful process improvements, and help transform early-stage concepts into high-impact operational enhancements. Your curiosity, persistence, and data-driven approach will directly influence how our recycling and materials-processing programs evolve—positioning Dynamic for continued growth and industry leadership.

💪 What You'll Do

• Lead R&D initiatives that identify, test, and develop new business opportunities and enhancements for our circuit board processing equipment.
• Conduct in-depth research on equipment, methodologies, market trends, and emerging technologies to drive high-value innovation.
• Execute rapid prototyping—ideating, building, testing, and iterating quickly to validate solutions.
• Support existing business initiatives by evaluating new materials, improving efficiency, and sourcing automation opportunities.
• Establish and manage internal testing protocols to ensure data-driven decision-making.
• Partner with Operations to transition successful R&D outcomes into full-scale production, ensuring safe and seamless integration.
• Execute small to mid-sized projects with a focus on ROI, automation, efficiency, and revenue impact.
• Drive continuous improvement efforts through analysis, experimentation, and performance validation.
• Travel as needed (optional but encouraged) to observe industry best practices and collaborate with vendors, customers, Sales, and Operations teams.
  
  

🎓 What You Bring (Briefcase)

• High school diploma or equivalent required; degree in Business, Engineering, or Technology preferred.
• 3–5 years of experience in R&D, innovation, problem solving, continuous improvement, experimentation, testing, or similar fields.
• Experience with industrial equipment operations, maintenance, or design; familiarity with material science, yield, throughput, recovery, quality control, or lab work is a plus.
• Additional relevant experience may be considered in lieu of formal education.
  
  

🧠 Skills & Strengths (Head)

• Strong research and rapid prototyping capabilities—able to ideate, build, test, and refine quickly.
• Analytical thinker skilled in data analysis and technical writing (Excel, Minitab, experiment reports).
• Deep understanding of industrial equipment concepts, yield and recovery metrics, and process optimization.
• Creative problem solver who excels at connecting the dots and identifying outside-the-box solutions.
• Ability to turn ambiguity into clarity, make fast and informed pivots, and independently pursue high-probability paths.
  
  

❤️ Who You Are (Heart)

You're energized by learning, experimenting, and pushing boundaries. You thrive in environments where "unknown" is simply another word for "opportunity." You're persistent in the face of obstacles and unafraid to fail fast, iterate, and try again. You take ownership, challenge assumptions with data, and maintain high standards even when working independently. You collaborate with stakeholders, communicate clearly, and build relationships that help ideas scale from prototype to production.

💚 Why You'll Love Working Here

🌱 Purpose with Impact: Help give electronics their "next best life" while protecting the planet.

🏆 Award-Winning Culture: Certified Great Place to Work® since 2017.

💡 Innovation Encouraged: We welcome creativity and fresh perspectives.

📈 Growth Opportunities: Access to professional development and career advancement.

💚 Values-Driven Organization: We live our core values every day.

⚖️ EEO Statement

Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing fair employment opportunities for all based on merit. For positions subject to state contract requirements, we adhere to state affirmative action obligations and take proactive steps to ensure equal opportunity in our hiring practices. We do not discriminate or make any employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.