Principal R&D Engineer - Fire Hazards, Investigations, and Failure Analyses
UL Solutions
$20,000 - $160,000 / year
Need a reasonable accommodation to apply or interview? Contact us.
JobMinglr uses automated technology to recommend jobs based on profile information and job preferences. Match Score does not determine eligibility for a position, prevent a user from viewing or applying to a job, or make hiring decisions on behalf of an employer.
Description
- Initiate, plan and execute client projects primarily in the areas of fire and explosion protection engineering analysis including failure analysis, cause-and-origin analysis, and fact-finding investigations.
- Carry out engineering analyses using combinations of numerical simulation, field data, and test data inputs.
- Mentor and guide team members and colleagues for larger client project initiatives.
- Complete formal technical reports of work completed, including all information and details about strategy, approach and outcome.
- Provide professional engineering review and, where appropriate, signature for key client deliverables.
- Work across industries / segments, collaborate with key stakeholders, and provide timeline communications to both internal and external stakeholders.
- Stay ahead of changing technologies in the field by reading journals and scientific publications, attending academic conferences, writing, and collaborating on original publications, and delivering presentations.
- Interprets internal/external business challenges and recommends best practices to improve products, processes or services.
- Where appropriate, present project results and findings at academic and industry conferences.
Qualifications
- Degree in mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, fire protection engineering, explosion protection engineering or other relevant discipline is required. MS or PhD preferred.
- MS or PhD requires additional 12+ years of relevant work experience. BS requires additional 15+ years of relevant work experience.
- Certified fire and explosion investigator (CFEI) certification and experience in field evaluations of fires and failure events is required.
- Professional engineering licensure in the state of Illinois is required. Licensure in additional states is preferred.
- Preferred professional experience includes:
- Professional engineering consulting experience in fire protection engineering, explosion protection engineering, process safety engineering, or industrial engineering
- Familiarity with laboratory and physical testing environments
- Familiarity with power generation and distribution systems - including generators, power electronics, transformers, and high-voltage breakers
- Familiarity with building and fire codes
- General familiarity with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis and finite-element analysis (FEA) techniques.
- Excellent communication and technical writing skills are required.
- Ability to work independently but also having a team player mindset, giving priority to team goals and maintaining good team relationships, is required.
What you’ll experience working for ULS
UL Solutions has been pioneering change since 1894 and we’re still leading the way. From day one, we’ve blazed a trail protecting the planet and everyone on it. Our teams have influenced billions of products, plus services, software offerings and more. We break things, burn things and blow things up. All in the name of safety science.
That’s where you come in — because none of it could happen without you. It takes passion to protect people, problem-solving to safeguard personal data and conviction to make the world a more sustainable place. It takes bold ideas and brilliant minds to build a better world for future generations across the globe.
This is more than a job. It’s a calling. A passion to use our expertise and play our part in creating a more secure, sustainable world today — and tomorrow. As a member of our safety science community, you’ll use your ideas, your energy and your ambition to innovate, challenge and ultimately, help create a safer world.
Everyone here is unique. But we’re also a global community, working together to help create a safer world. Join UL Solutions and you can connect with the brightest minds in the business, all bringing their distinct perspectives and diverse backgrounds together to deliver real change.
Empowering our customers to keep the world safe means thinking ahead. It means investing in training and empowering our people to learn and innovate. At UL Solutions, we help build a better future — one where everyone benefits.
Join UL Solutions to be at the center of safety. To learn more about us and the work we do, visit UL.com
Total Rewards: We understand compensation is an important factor as you consider the next step in your career. The estimated salary range for this position is $160,000 to $200,00 USD and is based on multiple factors, including job-related knowledge/skills, experience, geographical location, as well as other factors. This position is eligible for annual bonus compensation with a target payout of 20% of the base salary. This position also provides health benefits such as medical, dental and vision; wellness benefits such as mental and financial health; and retirement savings (401K) commensurate with the standard rewards offered in each individual location or country. We also provide full-time employees with paid time off including vacation (15 days), holiday and personal days (totaling 12 days) and sick time off (72 hours).
#LI-SG2
#LI-Hybrid
A global leader in applied safety science, UL Solutions (NYSE: ULS) transforms safety, security and sustainability challenges into opportunities for customers in more than 110 countries. UL Solutions delivers testing, inspection and certification services, together with software products and advisory offerings, that support our customers’ product innovation and business growth. The UL Mark serves as a recognized symbol of trust in our customers’ products and reflects an unwavering commitment to advancing our safety mission. We help our customers innovate, launch new products and services, navigate global markets and complex supply chains, and grow sustainably and responsibly into the future. Our science is your advantage.
Benefits
- health insurance
- 401(k)
- paid time off
- bonus
About this role
UL Solutions is seeking a Principal R&D Engineer to lead fire and explosion investigations, failure analyses, and cause-and-origin determinations for clients across multiple industries. You would design and execute engineering projects that combine numerical simulation, field data, and testing to understand how and why fires and explosions occur. The role requires you to mentor colleagues on larger initiatives, author detailed technical reports, and provide professional engineering review and signature on key deliverables. You'll also stay current with emerging technologies through publications, conferences, and original research contributions.
This position demands substantial expertise: a degree in mechanical, chemical, fire protection, or explosion protection engineering (MS or PhD preferred), plus 12 to 15 years of directly relevant experience depending on your degree level. You must hold CFEI certification, active professional engineering licensure in Illinois, and a track record in field investigations of actual fire and failure events. Additional qualifications—such as PE licensure in other states, consulting experience in fire or process safety, familiarity with CFD and FEA, and knowledge of power systems and building codes—strengthen your candidacy.
The role is based in Northbrook, Illinois, and requires in-office work. Compensation ranges from $160,000 to $200,000 annually, plus a 20% target bonus, standard health and wellness benefits, and 27 days of paid time off. This is a full-time position suited to an experienced engineer ready to take on complex, high-stakes investigations while contributing to UL Solutions' mission in applied safety science.
This role's local market on JobMinglr
Pay for this role
$20,000 to $160,000 per year
That is the employer's posted range, and where you land in it is usually decided in one conversation. Before that conversation, run the numbers: analyze an offer for this role.
Before you apply, worth reading
How JobMinglr reads this job
Every listing here is scored against your profile before you apply: skills overlap, experience level, location and work arrangement, each weighted and explained. You see the score and the reasons, not just a list. How the matching works.