Encoder Jobs in Michigan (NOW HIRING)

POSITION SUMMARY

RFID Solutions Architect partners directly with customers and internal teams to design, validate, and deploy end-to-end RFID solutions across inlays/tags, encoding data standards, reader infrastructure, and software integration. This role is highly consultative and will lead solution discovery, architecture, and pilot-to-scale execution ensuring our customers achieve measurable outcomes (read performance, data quality, process adoption, and ROI). This role will also influence our product roadmap based on customer and market feedback.

PRIMARY FUNCTIONS

Customer Solution Design & Architecture:

• Lead customer discovery sessions to understand workflows, environments, constraints, and success metrics.
• Design complete RFID solutions including:
• Inlay selection and tag construction (materials, adhesives, face stocks, overlaminates, durability requirements)
• Reader architecture (handheld, fixed portals, printers/encoders, antenna placement, power/region compliance)
• Data and encoding strategy (EPC scheme, serialization approach, label formats, QA)
• Software integration (middleware/edge processing, APIs, eventing, data pipelines, reporting)
• Create technical solution documents: architecture diagrams, data flows, installation guides, pilot plans, and scale playbooks.

Pilot Execution & Performance Validation:

• Define pilot scope, success metrics, and test plans (read rate targets, environmental tests, throughput, error rates).
• Oversee pilot execution and guide troubleshooting across RF performance, tag behavior, hardware configuration, and data flow.
• Troubleshoot end-to-end performance issues: RF interference, orientation sensitivity, tag detuning, reader tuning, software filtering, data exceptions.

Cross-Functional Leadership:

• Collaborate with Product Management to translate customer requirements into roadmap features and platform capabilities.
• Coordinate with Sales/Account teams to support pre-sales discovery, solution proposals, and technical credibility in customer meetings.
• Coordinate cross-functionally with internal teams and external partners to ensure solutions are scalable, reliable, and ready for deployment.

Solution Enablement:

• Develop reusable reference architectures, configuration templates, bills of materials (BOMs), and best-practice guides.
• Train internal teams and customers on RFID principles, deployment approaches, and operational maintenance.
• Evaluate and manage technology partners (reader vendors, middleware providers, cloud platforms, integration partners).

OTHER FUNCTIONS

• Communicate professionally both within the company and externally.
• Liaise with all areas of the company in thought leadership to meet or exceed goals and customer needs.
• Contribute to an atmosphere that aligns with the company’s culture to perform big and put people first.
• Any other duties as assigned.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, electrical engineering, computer engineering, industrial engineering, information systems, or related field OR equivalent professional experience.
• 3-7 years of proven work experience in RFID solutions, systems architecture solutions engineering, or technical consulting.
• Experience with GS1 EPC standards, serialization strategies, and multi-site governance for ID management preferred.
• Demonstrated experience delivering customer-facing RFID deployments from discovery through pilot and scale.
• Ability to create clear technical documentation and architecture diagrams for both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong troubleshooting skills: diagnosing issues across RF, hardware, firmware, data, and software layers.
• Experience supporting or leading integration with enterprise systems (ERP/WMS/OMS/PLM) and data platforms.
• Positive thinking, innovative, results-driven, self-starter with sound judgment and decision-making skills.
• Excellent communication, problem solving, and facilitation skills and an ability to reach consensus and get buy-in from a team.
• Excellent project and time management skills. Must be disciplined about following up with team members to maintain momentum on projects, deliver on milestones and maintain timelines to ensure completion.
• Ability to both collaborate within a team and work independently to solve problems and generate ideas.
• Must possess strong computer skills and have fast/reliable internet connection.
• Must be willing to travel up to 30% of the time to visit customer sites, pilots, and key deployments.

Strong working knowledge of:

• UHF RFID (RAIN RFID) systems, reader/antenna concepts, and environment/performance tradeoffs
• Inlays/tags/label converting considerations (materials, adhesives, durability, detuning, test methodologies)
• Print/encode workflows and quality controls (verification, exception handling, rework)
• RFID middleware/edge processing and integration patterns (APIs, message queues, event streams)