Product Development Specialist

Medline Industries, LP • Northfield, IL

1d • $79,000 - $119,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Medline Industries has an immediate opening for a Product Development Specialist with our Textiles division. This role will be based out of our Northfield, IL corporate headquarters and will work a hybrid model. Under general supervision, support product development activities between product management and vendor partners. Develop and communicate product requirements, evaluate product performance, and manage development & production timelines.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Textiles, Materials Science, Engineering, Industrial Design, or a Product Development-related field.
• At least 2 year of experience in product development, sourcing, quality, industrial design, engineering, or materials R&D.

Responsibilities

• Develop product and fabric requirements, performance attributes, and quality specifications. Communicate to manufacturer through technical specs and drawings.
• Create and oversee product and fabric development timelines which are agreed to by Product Management and Vendors/Sourcing through utilization of Project Management software.
• Evaluate prototypes for usability, manufacturability, performance, and quality using analysis techniques such as visual evaluation, tactile textile evaluation, and creating testing plans/analyzing results.
• Administer process of approving new source to make an existing product by comparing all aspects of current product characteristics and performance to new potential source’s prototype(s) and make recommendation to either approve or reject new source.
• Improve product quality and performance of existing products and fabrics by working between internal quality team, manufacturing partners, and testing labs.
• Develops innovative solutions to new and existing product challenges.
• Explore new and emerging textile technologies to present to Textile Division. Research technologies for viability, feasibility, and applicability to Medline textile products.
• Drive patent application process for Textiles Division and identify ideas that have potential for legal protection. Guide Product Managers in patent process in order to maximize the full scope of intellectual property.
• Create, organize, and maintain fabric library by traveling to trade shows, fabric shows, and technology shows.
• Establish new product development sub-processes as needed to increase speed to market, reduce production and quality issues, etc.
• Create and update product technical specifications due to product improvements, unclear requirements, and product changes due to Sourcing team needs.

Benefits

• Medline Industries, LP, and its subsidiaries, offer a competitive total rewards package, continuing education & training, and tremendous potential with a growing worldwide organization.
• Our benefit package includes health insurance, life and disability, 401(k) contributions, paid time off, etc., for employees working 30 or more hours per week on average.
• For roles where employees work less than 30 hours per week, benefits include 401(k) contributions as well as access to the Employee Assistance Program, Employee Resource Groups and the Employee Service Corp.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level