Engineer Product Development - Golf Ball Evaluation

This position is responsible for building and maintaining the data infrastructure, analytical frameworks, and measurement correlation systems that support golf ball product development and evaluation. The individual will guide development of new test methods that better replicate on-course play by a wide range of golfers. The individual will design scalable data pipelines and databases for physical properties measurements, robot testing, and player performance data. They will partner closely with the R&D and manufacturing engineering teams to deliver actionable insights, automated reporting, and data structures that accelerate decision-making across the product development lifecycle.

Essential Functions and Key Responsibilities:

Equipment Correlation & Measurement Systems

• Design and execute equipment correlation studies to establish statistically valid transfer functions between measurement instruments
• Develop and maintain gauge R&R (repeatability & reproducibility) protocols to quantify measurement system uncertainty and guide equipment qualification decisions.
• Build regression and calibration models to translate measurements across platforms, ensuring consistency in cross-site and cross-instrument comparisons.
• Flag and investigate measurement drift, anomalies, and data quality issues in an automated fashion.

Data Architecture & Database Management

• Contribute to and implement relational and cloud-based databases to centralize golf ball measurement data
• Design scalable schemas that accommodate new data streams as testing capabilities expand, with clear version control and metadata standards.
• Build ETL pipelines to ingest data into unified data stores.
• Develop and maintain dataflows to provide summarized results to the group. 

Analytics, Modeling & Visualization

• Perform exploratory and inferential statistical analysis on golf ball performance datasets to identify trends, anomalies, and performance drivers.
• Develop interactive dashboards and automated reporting tools to surface key metrics to engineers and product teams.
• Analyze player and robot performance data to identify correlations between ball properties and on-course outcomes.

Collaboration & Documentation

• Write clear technical documentation covering data models, pipeline architecture, correlation methodologies, and analytical findings.
• Present data-driven findings to cross-functional stakeholders including engineering, product Creation, and tour operations teams.

General

• Develop complete understanding of critical product specs and how they relate to product performance.
• Develop new tests that replicate on-course play and assist team in evaluating new designs. 
• Measure and analyze existing ball products and tooling.
• Participate in evaluation of new designs/products.
• Evaluate automation opportunities to improve testing efficiency and operator ergonomics.
• Performs other related duties and assignments as required.

Knowledge and Skills Requirements:

• Proven experience designing and querying relational databases (SQL); familiarity with database schema design and normalization.
• Experience with data visualization tools to build dashboards and automated reports.
• Demonstrated ability to structure ambiguous datasets and define data standards for new measurement programs.
• Strong communication skills: ability to translate technical findings into clear narratives for non-technical audiences.
• Applied knowledge of statistics: regression analysis, hypothesis testing, ANOVA, measurement system analysis (MSA/Gauge R&R), and uncertainty quantification.
• Excellent working knowledge of MATLAB or equivalent engineering analysis software.
• Functional knowledge with larger datasets, creating ETLs.
• Knowledge and some experience in Design of Experiments (DOE). Experience with designing and setting up experiments, various data acquisition methods, statistical analysis and report writing.
• Working knowledge of statistics with application to product evaluation.
• Functional knowledge of CAD software for fixture design.
• Basic knowledge of CAE (FEA, CFD)
• Strong organization skills, able to multi-task effectively.
• Knowledge of manufacturing methods of products the employee is involved in designing (e.g. casting, injection molding, machining, compression molding, forging, and coating/plating techniques) a plus.
• Strong communication skills: Must be fluent in English (written and oral), have excellent interpersonal skills; ability to communicate effectively with all levels of the organization (e.g. marketing, sales, engineering, production, tour players).
• Hands-on lab or machine shop experience.  Ability to design and fabricate test fixtures independently.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, including, Word, advanced Excel, Outlook
• Demonstrated technical problem solving/creative thinking ability
• Demonstrated ability to work in team environment with willingness to question status quo and demonstrate why proposed change offers an improvement.

Education, Work Experience, and Professional Certifications:

• 0 - 2 years of direct experience; sports equipment industry related experience a plus
• B.S. in Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering or related degree required.  Master’s degree preferred.
• Golf knowledge: terminology, products, rules, handicap of <18 preferred.  Scratch golfer is a plus. High level of interest in sports equipment technology

Work Environment / Physical Requirements:

• Normal office conditions with extensive computer and phone usage.
• Ability to work extended hours as necessary.
• Able to work efficiently and accurately in an atmosphere of frequent interruption.
• Light physical effort equal to frequent lifting or moving of lightweight materials.
• Frequent travel may be required.
• Frequent work outdoors (golf courses, driving ranges, etc.)
• Occasional lab environment, with exposure to noise, dirt, dust and fumes.

TaylorMade is a performance driven organization and our total rewards approach to compensation is designed to support this. We consider many factors in determining base compensation, including position scope, job related knowledge, education, skills, experience, and work location. The expected annual base pay range for this position is $77,000 - $85,000. Additional benefits, such as health & wellness, performance bonuses, product discounts, holidays, paid time off, etc. may also be offered in accordance with our plans.

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TaylorMade Golf Company is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religious creed, color, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, pregnancy, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, military and veteran status or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law, ordinance, or regulation.