Group Leader, Applications Development

Eastman Chemical Company • Kingsport, TN

4d • Onsite

About The Position

Founded in 1920, Eastman is a global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With the purpose of enhancing the quality of life in a material way, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. The company’s innovation-driven growth model takes advantage of world-class technology platforms, deep customer engagement, and differentiated application development to grow its leading positions in attractive end markets such as transportation, building and construction, and consumables. As a globally inclusive company, Eastman employs approximately 13,000 people around the world and serves customers in more than 100 countries. The company had 2025 revenue of approximately $8.8 billion and is headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA. For more information, visit www.eastman.com .

Requirements

• BS, Masters or Ph. D. in Polymer Chemistry, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Material Science or related field is required.

Nice To Haves

• Five or more years of experience in polymer-related fields
• Knowledge of trends in the polymer industry and how they relate to key growth markets
• Ability to work with ambiguity in a fast-paced action-oriented team.
• Demonstrated customer empathy and the ability to understand customer needs.
• Ability to think intuitively in order to lead to customer or industry engagements with insights.
• Prior experience working at the interface of technology, commercial functions and customers.
• Working knowledge of Salesforce.com databases and dashboards

Responsibilities

• Understand technical and business strategies, vision, and goals related to the group, and utilize this understanding to communicate and implement priorities through appropriate resource allocation and cross-functional alignment.
• Ensure every employee understands their respective assignments and impact on both short and long term financial success
• Create a vision for what the group needs to become to support and guide technical and business strategies.
• Develop and implement plans to assess and deliver key core competencies supporting and guiding strategies.
• Partner with the business in understanding options that exist for executing or modifying business strategy.
• Lead continual improvement of the group through coaching and participation in division leadership teams.
• Foster effective cross-functional , inter-group and interdivisional relationships in and out of Technology
• Champion proposals for needed resources, capabilities and capital projects to management to support and enable strategies
• Inform and influence division leadership team, gatekeeping teams and industry teams with viable technical options to enable strategies and meet business goals.
• Attract, engage, develop, and retain the talent needed to provide capabilities to execute technical and business strategies
• Provide technical guidance, mentoring and support personal development plans
• Ensure appropriate training and competence development in key technologies, intellectual property processes, interpersonal interaction skills, leadership skills, and business/corporate strategies.
• Identify and develop key contributors and future leaders by planning growth assignments, team participation, and by execution of effective succession planning. Prepare and enable personnel to move to new assignments.
• Enable individual contributors and project teams to lead and develop group members to achieve a higher level of performance.
• Motivate and provide feedback to employees on a regular basis through individual discussions and based upon “in the field” experiences
• Actively use performance management processes to set expectations and provide feedback.
• Manage costs within limits of established budgets and ensure cost control strategies are implemented as needed
• Ensure talent succession plans are established and maintained
• Develop and maintain clear understanding of the market and regulatory trends as well as key drivers and barriers affecting solutions in selected industries or markets.
• Identify key influencers, including trade associations and regulatory agencies, their impact on developing growth platform concepts, and strategy for engaging.
• Use data and analytics to support assessments, recommendations and choices.
• Ensure compliance with all legal and corporate requirements.
• Promote effective teamwork by removing barriers between individuals and groups.
• Ensure resources and capabilities are available and property allocated.
• Ensure work is correctly documented and catalogued in salesforce.com or other appropriate databases.
• Communicate the status of key projects, priorities, constraints and group capabilities to key internal partners, including technical and business management.
• Ensure Eastman and customer confidential information is appropriately protected.
• Development and implementation of proactive customer engagement strategies.

Benefits

• Base pay plus performance-based incentive opportunities that let you share in our success.
• Comprehensive medical, prescription-drug, and dental coverage—paired with a Health Savings Account option to help you save tax-free dollars for care today or in the future.
• A robust menu of voluntary benefits—including vision, optional life, critical-illness protection, and more—so you can tailor coverage to fit your life.
• Holistic wellness support: financial-planning tools, family-building assistance (adoption, pregnancy, and fertility resources), parental leave, and confidential Employee Assistance Program counseling.
• 401(k) with a company match—plus an additional annual retirement contribution from Eastman to accelerate your long-term savings.
• Eleven paid holidays, one personal day, paid time off, and paid vacation to recharge, celebrate, or handle life’s moments.
• Access to mentorship, learning resources, and leadership programs that empower you to thrive in your current role and chart the next steps in your career.

What This Job Offers

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