What are the responsibilities and job description for the Research And Development Manager position at SolMem?
R&D Manager – Solar Desalination Technologies
Houston, TX | Primarily Lab-Based | Up to 30% Travel
About the Role
SolMem LLC is seeking a hands-on, mission-driven R&D Manager to lead our research and development team and help bring transformative water treatment technologies to market. In this role, you will lead the advancement of a technology currently at TRL 6-7, driving design iterations, performance optimization, and system validation efforts to accelerate its path to commercial readiness. You will also contribute to building a high-impact technology portfolio aimed at addressing global water challenges through scalable and sustainable solutions.
About SolMem
SolMem LLC is a Houston-based technology startup spun out of Rice University and the NSF’s Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT). Since 2017, we’ve been committed to improving lives through innovative, sustainable, and energy-efficient water treatment technologies.
We combine cutting-edge research with novel engineering to develop disruptive solutions for residential, municipal, and industrial applications. Our team blends deep technical expertise, entrepreneurial spirit, and a shared mission to make clean water more accessible and affordable.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and manage the R&D team for lab and field-based pilot system development, ensuring strong execution, safety, and alignment with project goals.
- Design, construct, and iteratively optimize pilot-scale water treatment systems to enhance performance, reduce costs, and prepare technologies for commercial deployment.
- Serve as Principal Investigator (PI) on federal and government-funded projects—leading planning, execution, and reporting to ensure delivery of technical milestones and compliance with agency requirements.
- Support technical and federal grant proposal writing by developing technical narratives, work plans, budgets, and supporting documentation for competitive proposals.
- Develop techno-economic cost models using mathematical and process modeling to demonstrate the efficiency and value of SolMem’s solutions.
- Engage with users and stakeholders to identify technical needs and translate them into real-world design and deployment strategies.
- Coordinate with the commercialization team to ensure technical development aligns with market needs and go-to-market plans.
- Analyze, interpret, and present technical data across internal and external stakeholders to inform decisions and share progress.
- Oversee procurement of lab materials and equipment to support efficient, timely execution of experiments.
- Travel up to 30%, including field tests, pilot deployments, or customer engagement.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Environmental, Chemical, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related field (Master’s degree preferred).
- Hands-on experience designing, building, and operating pilot- or full-scale products, systems, or prototypes—ideally in water or wastewater treatment.
- Proven project management experience with engineering projects, from planning and execution to delivery of technical milestones.
- Strong foundation in process engineering, water treatment technologies, and system integration.
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced startup environment.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate across technical and business audiences.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with membrane desalination, thermal processes, or advanced water treatment systems.
- Proficiency in AutoCAD, process modeling software (e.g., COMSOL), or similar engineering tools.
- FE (Fundamentals of Engineering) or PE (Professional Engineer) certification.
- Knowledge of water chemistry, regulatory requirements, and industrial water challenges.
- Strong data analysis and modeling capabilities, including cost-performance analysis and techno-economic assessments.
- Successful track record contributing to or leading federal funding proposals (e.g., DOE, NSF, EPA).
- Customer-facing experience with a focus on translating needs into design solutions.
- Entrepreneurial mindset and comfort working in a lean, dynamic startup environment.