Head of Technical Application Americas

Clariant•Suzano, SP

8d•Onsite

About The Position

As the Head of Technical Application Development for Clariant’s Industrial Applications, Americas, you will lead the technical innovation, application development, and customer support agenda across the Americas region. Combining strategic oversight with hands-on technical leadership, you will drive the regional innovation pipeline, support customers with expert product recommendations and formulation expertise, and ensure Clariant's local product portfolio remains competitive and well-supported. In NORAM, you will also take direct responsibility for technical sales and customer engagement, while leading a team of six and providing guiding oversight to a further four colleagues in LATAM. This is a role that blends scientific expertise, commercial awareness, and people leadership to deliver meaningful impact across a broad and diverse region. This role is based at Clariant's Innovation Center in Mount Holly, North Carolina. Internal Clariant employees based in Brazil are welcome to apply; however, the selected candidate should be open to future relocation to the United States.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science degree; Advanced degree in Chemistry, ideally combined with an MBA or advanced degree in Innovation Management, preferred
Minimum of 8 years of industry experience in relevant areas such as R&D, Application Development, or Innovation Management
Experience with Clariant's chemistries is preferred
Proven experience in a technical leadership role
Fluent in English with high proficiency in Spanish

Responsibilities

Co-develop the Americas regional subsegment innovation strategy in partnership with the global Applications & Development team
Lead, manage, and execute the regional innovation pipeline in-line with Clariant's I2M process, aligned with sales, marketing, and Global Application Development (GAD) priorities
Steer and allocate resources to regional innovation projects in collaboration with sales, marketing, and GAD
Ensure efficient and transparent communication with global and regional stakeholders
Lead the team in supporting Production/Operations on product scale-ups and quality-related topics
Optimize the local product portfolio from a technical perspective
Lead the team to create and maintain technical marketing materials and product specifications, including technical data sheets
Ensure the technical team actively supports customers through product recommendations and technical consultation
Lead the team to provide customer-specific technical formulation support utilizing Clariant technologies
Build and maintain relationships with key technical stakeholders, both internal and external
Gather and leverage technical market intelligence to inform commercial and development priorities
Maintain and further develop regional lab capabilities, including methods and equipment, in alignment with GAD
Manage lab operations in line with Clariant's management principles and EHS&A requirements
Support the development of team members based on individual, team, and organizational needs
Drive organizational efficiency and foster a culture of continuous process and performance improvement