{"id":1706300,"url":"https://alion.io/job/neograf-sample-prototype-technician","title":"Sample & Prototype Technician","company":{"id":3795695,"name":"NeoGraf","domain":"neograf.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/neograf-2","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"ADP","truth_index":null},"role":"Field & Service","role_family":"Field & Service","seniority":"senior","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Lakewood, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":59000,"max_usd":115000,"period":"year","method":"role_seniority_country_remote_cell","sample_n":3574},"experience_years_min":7,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-16T21:17:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-16","last_verified_at":"2026-11-07T00:52:09Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":51,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":51},"description":"Title\nSample & Prototype Technician\nDepartment\nBusiness Development - Sample Lab\nReports to\nSr. Director, Business Development\nLocation\n[On-site - plant / lab]\nFLSA / Status\n[Non-exempt, full-time]\nAbout NeoGraf\nNeoGraf Solutions is a world leader in graphite materials science, manufacturing carbon and graphite products in Lakewood, Ohio for nearly 140 years. Our high-performance materials serve demanding applications across thermal management for electronics, fluid sealing, alternative energy and fuel cells, transportation, and flame-retardant additives for polymers and construction.\nPosition Summary\nThe Sample & Prototype Technician owns the physical fulfillment of customer sample and prototype orders end-to-end - from managing and pulling the standard products held in inventory to building custom, made-to-spec prototypes. Prototype work is performed using sample lab equipment and, as needed, production equipment. The role removes low-volume, high-touch sample work from the production floor and the Business Development queue and gives the business a single accountable owner for sample turnaround, quality, and responsiveness.\nThis role requires high attention to detail and the ability to navigate and coordinate work across multiple departments. The technician personally performs the sample and trial work and coordinates it across Application Engineering, Operations, Quality, R&D, and other departments as needed. The technician reports to the Sr. Director of Business Development and takes day-to-day technical direction from an Application Engineer, keeping sample priorities aligned with the commercial pipeline while the work stays technically guided. The technician is the operational hub through which every sample request flows and is accountable for meeting turnaround commitments (SLAs) by sample class.\nBeyond fulfillment, the technician coordinates custom prototype trials and owns their execution and data capture - scheduling and coordinating trial time with Operations, supporting trials on behalf of the Application Engineers, and recording and helping analyze the resulting data alongside the Application Engineer. The technician also supports internal R&D development efforts - preparing samples, running trials and experiments, and capturing data for the R&D team - with customer sample responsiveness remaining the primary priority. When a prototype wins the business, the technician carries those trial learnings into the production handoff with Operations and the Product Manager. Analysis and coordination responsibilities are expected to grow as the role matures.\nKey Responsibilities\nStandard product fulfillment & inventory\nFulfill sample requests for standard products held in inventory, pulling the correct grade, lot, and quantity.\nManage the inventory of standard products kept for sampling - monitor stock levels, replenish, and ensure availability for fast fulfillment.\nPrepare and package samples to meet order and customer requirements.\nDeliver completed samples to the shipping department.\nCustom prototype & trial support\nBuild custom and prototype samples to customer specification using sample lab equipment, following established methods and safety procedures.\nWork with Operations and HSE to be trained on and operate equipment as needed to produce samples and support trials.\nCoordinate custom prototype trials - aligning the Application Engineer's requirements, equipment and production time, and the trial schedule.\nSchedule and coordinate trial time with Operations; run and escort trials through the process for key customer programs.\nSupport trial activities for new customer development and new or custom product configurations.\nR&D development support\nPrepare samples and run trials and experiments in support of internal R&D projects.\nCoordinate R&D trial and equipment time with Operations alongside customer sampling work.\nCollect, record, and share trial and experiment data with the R&D team.\nTake task direction from the R&D team for R&D efforts, balancing them against customer sample commitments (customer sampling prioritized).\nTrial data collection & analysis\nCollect and record trial data - parameters, settings, measurements, yield, and outcomes.\nHelp analyze trial results and summarize findings for the Application Engineer and note adjustments for the next iteration (with support from the Application Engineer).\nCommercialization & production handoff (when the business is won)\nCarry prototype trial learnings into a repeatable production process together with the Operations team.\nSupport the Product Manager on the productize decision - whether a won prototype becomes a standard product.\nDocument the prototype-to-production handoff so Operations and Quality inherit a complete, repeatable process package.\nCross-functional coordination\nNavigate and coordinate work across Business Development, Application Engineering, Operations, Quality, and R&D to move samples and trials through the organization.\nCoordinate with outside vendors and suppliers on activities needed to support the sample and prototyping process (e.g., ordering tools and dies, and working with third-party contract manufacturing partners).\nIntake & workflow management\nServe as the single intake point for all sample requests through the defined request path, ensuring every request enters the formal queue.\nTriage and schedule the sample queue against published service levels (SLAs) by sample class.\nEscalate capacity conflicts, rush requests, and priority calls to the Application Engineer and, when direction is needed, the Sr. Director of Business Development.\nDocumentation, quality & traceability\nWork with the Application Engineer and the Quality team to determine which COA properties must be reported, and generate and attach COAs, spec sheets, and sample paperwork accordingly.\nMaintain lot / batch traceability for every sample shipped, including custom material.\nFollow IP and trade-secret handling protocols for developmental and confidential material; ensure controlled material is labeled, logged, and restricted appropriately.\nMaintain accurate records of sample, inventory, and trial activity to support cycle-time, conversion, and trial-outcome reporting.\nLab operations & safety\nOperate, clean, and perform basic maintenance on sample lab equipment; report equipment issues promptly.\nMaintain sample lab supplies of consumables and packaging; reorder as needed.\nConduct testing of materials accurately as required by research needs and customer requirements.\nFollow all HSE, PPE, and housekeeping requirements; keep the sample lab audit-ready.\nContinuous improvement\nIdentify and propose improvements to sample turnaround, standardization, and documentation.\nContribute to building a library of repeatable methods for common sample requests.\nQualifications\nRequired\nHigh school diploma or equivalent; technical / associate degree in a science or manufacturing field preferred.\n7+ years’ experience in a manufacturing or lab (R&D) environment.\nHigh attention to detail and accuracy in both physical work and record-keeping.\nAbility to navigate and coordinate work across multiple departments.\nHands-on comfort operating equipment and working with physical product.\nStrong organization; able to manage inventory and a queue of competing priorities.\nComfort collecting and recording data, and a willingness to grow into trial data analysis; basic spreadsheet and ERP / order-entry skills.\nAbility to follow specifications, methods, and safety procedures precisely.\nSelf-starter who leverages curiosity to improved process flow and outcomes.\nPreferred\nExperience in specialty materials, or a similar technology-driven manufacturer.\n7+ years’ experience in Fabrication environment.\n5+ years’ experience in materials-handling environment.\nFamiliarity with COAs, lot traceability, and basic quality documentation.\nExposure to process trials, scale-up, R&D support, or new-product introduction (NPI).\nExperience turning trial or test data into clear findings and recommendations.\nPhysical & Work Environment\nOn-site role in a plant / lab environment; use of PPE required.\nAbility to lift up to 50 lbs. and stand for extended periods.\nExposure to typical manufacturing conditions (dust, noise, equipment).","description_format":"text","description_chars":8275,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":7,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"high_school","optional":true},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Consumer Electronics","Hardware","Manufacturing"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-02T15:00:09Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":28,"band":"fade","label":"Fading","p_open":1,"p_active":0.617,"p_room":0.45,"age_days":50,"expected_fill_days":29,"reasons":["conf:0","win:tail"],"computed_at":"2026-11-06T05:58:05Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/neograf-sample-prototype-technician","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/neograf-sample-prototype-technician.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-07T00:52:19Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":2109,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-08T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":3795695},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=3795695"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fneograf-sample-prototype-technician"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fneograf-sample-prototype-technician"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fneograf-sample-prototype-technician"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/neograf-sample-prototype-technician\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fneograf-sample-prototype-technician"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":1706300}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"neograf.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":1706300},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); 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