Initiatives Leader

Essity•Dover, DE

22h•Onsite

About The Position

As an Initiative Material Leader at Essity in Dover, Delaware, you will lead material-related initiatives that connect product development with successful manufacturing execution. The position works across materials, packaging, quality, procurement, engineering, operations, and other technical functions to help bring new products and material improvements into production. You will evaluate material changes, support qualification and validation, coordinate production trials, and identify opportunities to improve material performance. You may also contribute to broader continuous improvement, equipment, and manufacturing initiatives. This is an on-site role working primarily first-shift hours, typically 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with limited travel.

Requirements

A degree in engineering, materials science, or a related technical discipline, or a combination of relevant technical education and significant applicable experience.
5+ years of relevant engineering experience, ideally within manufacturing, new product development, quality, materials engineering, supply chain, or a related environment.
Experience working with SAP and Microsoft Office tools.
Strong safety awareness, leadership and influencing skills, analytical problem-solving, sound decision-making, stakeholder management, prioritization, communication, collaboration, and ability to coach others.
Ability to work across functions and with suppliers to translate technical requirements into practical manufacturing solutions.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of materials, packaging, manufacturing processes, validation or qualification, project management, and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain material specifications, technical data, Bills of Materials, and testing requirements for new and existing products.
Partner with product, packaging, engineering, and manufacturing teams to assess material feasibility and support successful product launches.
Coordinate material aspects of validation and qualification activities, including production trials, test materials, and collection and evaluation of test data.
Identify and implement material improvements that enhance manufacturing performance, quality, reliability, efficiency, and material utilization.
Collaborate with engineering, research and development, packaging, procurement, supplier quality, operations, and other stakeholders on material development and optimization.
Work with suppliers and internal teams to define and optimize material characteristics, investigate material issues, and support resolution of quality concerns.
Coach colleagues on material specifications, characteristics, defect reporting, and problem-solving while providing leadership and influence across initiatives.