Senior R&D Engineer - Materials

U.S. Silica Holdings Inc. is a global performance materials company and is a member of the Russell 2000. The company is a leading producer of commercial silica used in the oil and gas industry and in a wide range of industrial applications. Over its 123-year history, U.S. Silica has developed core competencies in mining, processing, logistics and materials science that enable it to produce and cost-effectively deliver more than 600 diversified products to customers across our end markets. 

U.S. Silica's wholly-owned subsidiaries include EP Minerals and SandBox Logistics™. EP Minerals is an industry leader in the production of products derived from diatomaceous earth, perlite, engineered clays and non-activated clays. SandBox Logistics™ is a state-of-the-art leader in proppant storage, handling and well-site delivery, and is dedicated to making proppant logistics cleaner, safer and more efficient. The company has 27 operating mines and processing facilities and two additional exploration stage properties across the United States and is headquartered in Katy, Texas. 

The Sr. R&D Engineer is responsible for developing new product offerings for U.S. Silica’s Industrial and Specialty Products Division. More specifically, the individual will apply their engineering background and experience working in an R&D environment to develop performance-enhancing materials from a range of raw materials including diatomaceous earth, perlite, clay, and industrial sand. This position will plan and conduct research projects in the lab, lead scale-up/pilot projects, generate intellectual property, and lead the progression of R&D projects through US Silica’s innovation pipeline. The expected travel time to visit select customers, plants, or conferences is 20%.  

Essential Job Functions: 

• Conduct market-driven research to deliver new mineral product offerings. Lead the progression of product development from benchtop to pilot to full scale manufacturing
• Serve as the technical lead for qualifying new products with select customers.
• Provide technical support to the company’s Operations, Sales, and Technical Service groups
• Prepare presentations for the executive, commercial and engineering teams on research projects 
• Prepare invention disclosures and support the patent filing process
• Prepare weekly reports to highlight progress on current projects 
• Support and mentor less-experienced colleagues. Direct the work of technicians. 
• Represent the company at major technical forums  

Required Education, Experience, and Skills:  

• Conduct market-driven research to deliver new mineral product offerings. Lead the progression of product development from benchtop to pilot to full scale manufacturing
• Serve as the technical lead for qualifying new products with select customers.
• Provide technical support to the company’s Operations, Sales, and Technical Service groups
• Prepare presentations for the executive, commercial and engineering teams on research projects 
• Prepare invention disclosures and support the patent filing process
• Prepare weekly reports to highlight progress on current projects 
• Support and mentor less-experienced colleagues. Direct the work of technicians. 
• Represent the company at major technical forums  

Required Education, Experience, and Skills: 

• Experience in minerals characterization methods 
• Hands-on experience manufacturing diatomaceous earth-based products 
• Strong understanding of the relationship between the physical/chemical properties of inorganic materials and their impact on the final application   
• Industrial mineral processing experience including thermal processing/calcination, milling, and classification 
• Experience developing novel methods to qualify new product application performance 
• Track-record of product development and commercialization 
• The ideal candidate will possess either a Master’s Degree or Doctorate with a minimum of 9 years of relevant industrial experience in the mining and industrial minerals sector.
• High level of knowledge of powder processing technology 
• Experience conducting trials in a laboratory, pilot plant, and production plant environment 
• Demonstrated creativity and strong problem-solving expertise using innovative approaches  
• Demonstrated product/process development working directly with customers 
• Demonstrated product/process development experience from ideation to commercialization is highly desired. 
• Strong cross-functional team experience (e.g. working with other scientists, operations, sales and marketing, etc.) 
• Strong written and oral communication skills 
• Self-directed and able to work both independently and as a team member 

U.S. Silica is an equal opportunity employer for all without regard to race, gender, color, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. U.S. Silica is a smoke- and drug-free workplace.  The above description is intended to capture the essential functions of the job, nature and level of work as of the preparation date.  It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties that may be required of the position.  This job description may be modified at any time with or without notice.