Director, R&D, NA

SI Group•City of Schenectady, NY

1d•$170,000 - $220,000•Onsite

About The Position

As the Director, R&D - NA, reporting to the Sr. Director - R&D, you will partner with Market Segment commercial leaders to drive the impact of innovation on material margin and EBITDA via new products (NPD) and applications (NAD). Additionally, you will develop, coach, and mentor the team into a high-performance organization that is empowered, collaborative, and inclusive. Manage HIC R&D Labs and foster collaborative learning and sharing with Global R&D-PT teams.

Requirements

Bachelor's or Master's in Chemistry. PhD in Chemistry preferred.
Minimum of 10 years' of experience in specialty chemicals.
Minimum of 5 years’ experience managing a global team of scientists covering synthesis, product development, and application engineering.
Track record of developing and commercializing new products and applications to achieve target innovation impact on business.

Responsibilities

Ensure HIC lab operates safely and teams are proactive in driving safe behaviors. Drive safety culture and mindset. Ensure 100% compliance to company policies and local regulations on environment, safety, and security.
Partner with marketing, sales, and technical service to conduct voice-of-customer to identify and shape high-value and differentiated new product development and new application development projects. Develop product and technology needs to address market trends in a clear multi-generation technology roadmap.
Provide R&D input to the Market Segments regarding strategic focus areas, new markets, and applications.
Maintain an active list of NPD, NAD, and technical service request (TSR) projects. Use appropriate criteria to evaluate and prioritize projects.
Partner with Sr. Director R&D-PT to develop key metrics for R&D project delivery and effectiveness.
Prioritize and execute stage-gate and application projects with Sr. Director R&D-PT to achieve key metrics.
Partner with SBU and R&D leader to develop goals, annual operating plan, operating and capital budgets, performance management, and succession plans.
Ensure that IP is protected via patents and trade secrets. Participate actively in driving IP decisions for R&D.
Monitor R&D activities of key competitors, including patents, publications, and announcements. Perform competitive benchmarking as needed.
Collaborate with Stewardship and Regulatory to proactively assess classification needed for new products and obtain necessary agency approvals.
Disseminate information on new products and application data via trade journal publications, conferences, webinars, and trade shows.
Partner with the manufacturing process technology team to scale up and commercialize new products via capable processes.
Provide input and data for technical data sheets and product brochures.
Ensure the HIC labs have the synthesis, analytical, and application test equipment to support the R&D project pipeline.
Partner with universities, national labs, and other third-party service providers for ideation and technology development as needed.
Develop and manage project review cadence to ensure progress, identify issues, and provide support.
Recruit new talent and backfills as needed; develop relationships with key local universities.
Coach and develop team members to achieve their full potential and career aspirations.
Lead by example; energize and empower teams; collaborate with other R&D groups and across functions; drive continuous improvement in operating processes and efficiency.
Provide input to R&D strategy, goals, metrics, priorities, and improvements to R&D processes.
Support targeted opportunities with pre-diligence, synergies quantification, due-diligence, and post-acquisition integration processes.
Perform hands-on bench work to build trust, show commitment, and facilitate faster project execution, while mentoring and training the team.