Director of Application Engineering

Henkel group • Rocky Hill, CT

3d • $120,000 - $190,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

At Henkel, you’ll be part of an organization that’s shaping the future through innovation, sustainability and collaboration. With our trusted brands like Persil®, ‘all®, Loctite®, Snuggle®, and Schwarzkopf® and our cutting-edge technologies, you’ll have countless opportunities to explore new paths and grow. This position is with our Adhesive Technologies business unit – where we empower our people to transform industries and provide our customers with a competitive advantage through adhesives, sealants and functional coatings. Dare to learn new skills, advance in your career and make an impact at Henkel.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science, or a related technical discipline; advanced degree preferred.
• Proven leadership experience managing technical, application engineering, product development, or customer-facing engineering teams in a manufacturing, adhesives, specialty chemicals, or industrial environment.
• Strong ability to influence and collaborate across functions, effectively connecting technical expertise with commercial objectives and customer value creation.
• Demonstrated success leading complex projects, driving innovation, and translating market needs into scalable technical solutions.
• Excellent communication, coaching, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to engage effectively from laboratory teams to executive leadership and key customers.

Nice To Haves

• Higher education preferred (MBA, Master's, etc.)

Responsibilities

• Lead the North America Application Engineering team, setting the strategic direction and execution plan to drive profitable growth across our business unit (ACM) and its portfolio.
• Partner closely with Sales, Product Development, Marketing, and Business Development teams to identify market opportunities and translate customer needs into differentiated technical solutions.
• Build, develop, and inspire a high-performing team of application engineers, fostering technical excellence, innovation, and a strong customer-centric culture.
• Drive customer engagement through technical consultation, application validation, troubleshooting, and support of key strategic accounts and growth initiatives.
• Establish and execute regional Application Engineering priorities that align with global ACM business objectives, technology roadmaps, and commercial strategies.
• Accelerate the development, codification, and transfer of application expertise across teams, enabling scalable deployment of best practices and technical knowledge.
• Lead technical support activities for new product introductions, customer trials, qualification programs, and commercialization efforts to maximize business impact.
• Manage departmental resources, budgets, laboratories, equipment, and project priorities while ensuring compliance with safety, quality, and regulatory requirements.

Benefits

• Health Insurance: affordable plans for medical, dental, vision and wellbeing starting on day 1
• Work-Life Balance: Paid time off including sick, vacation, holiday and volunteer time, flexible & hybrid work policies (depending on role), and vacation buy / sell program
• Financial: 401k matching, employee share plan with voluntary investment and Henkel matching shares, annual performance bonus, service awards and student loan reimbursement
• Family Support: 12-week gender neutral parental leave (up to 20 weeks for parents giving birth), fertility support, adoption & surrogacy reimbursement, discounted child and elderly care, and scholarships
• Career Growth: diverse national and international growth opportunities, access to thousands of skills development courses, and tuition reimbursement

What This Job Offers

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