Market Development Specialist

Kuraray America • Pasadena, TX

32d • Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking a Market Development Specialist to drive the growth of EVAL and PLANTIC across the Americas within our Technical Service & Development (TS&D) organization. This hybrid role integrates food science, packaging, and market development expertise. The Market Development Specialist will engage with brand owners to showcase the sustainable advantages of EVAL and PLANTIC, guiding them through the evaluation process to commercialization in innovative food packaging or other industrial applications. Success in this role requires a strong foundation in materials and polymer processing, flexible packaging structure development, food stability testing, and the ability to assess packaging performance-particularly in meeting or exceeding brand expectations for recyclable solutions compared to traditional, non-recyclable high-performance laminates. The primary objective is to identify new market opportunities, support product launches, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to advance innovation, sustainability, and growth, with a strong emphasis on food packaging.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, Food Technology, Chemical Engineering, Polymer Science, Plastics Engineering, Materials Science, or Mechanical Engineering.
• Minimum of 5 years in packaging, food applications, or medical packaging sectors
• Knowledge of plastic materials, converting processes (extrusion, lamination, printing), and food science.
• Experience with brand owners, converters, technical sales and/or technical marketing roles.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and project management skills.
• Strong analytical thinking, problem-solving, and customer-facing abilities.
• Innovative mindset with adaptability to diverse working environments
• Capable to handle multiple projects and responsibilities simultaneously.
• Candidates must have a valid driver's license.

Responsibilities

• Food Science & Innovation Design food stability experiments using EVAL and PLANTIC packaging technologies to demonstrate benefits compared to traditional packaging
• Apply food science expertise to evaluate product aging and redesign packaging to optimize shelf-life performance and/or quality preservation.
• Report results of the food stability tests as tools for market development when facing customers or brand owners.
• Market & Business Development Research global market trends, consumer demands, benchmark studies, recycling standards, and sustainability drivers.
• Support new product introductions with market analysis and application demonstrations in the form of customer presentations.
• Identify new market opportunities for EVAL and PLANTIC in food and pharma packaging as well as in industrial applications. The focus of this role is food packaging.
• Work closely with TS&D to develop a solution, with Sales to close opportunities, and with Marketing Communication teams to publish successes.
• Collaborate with the value chain (brand owners, converters, processors, machine and resins suppliers, as well as food manufacturers) to develop case studies demonstrating the value proposition of EVAL and PLANTIC.
• Technical and Environmental Support Grow awareness of EVAL and Plantic products by representing the company in industry associations, positioning them as strong solutions towards the circular economy.
• Collaborate with the marketing communications team to create appropriate publications, targeted advertising, and other promotional tactics to position EVAL as the barrier leader in all segments.
• Coordinate the approvals of such public communications locally with the KAI EVAL leadership team and globally with the corresponding counterparts in Kuraray Japan.
• Conduct extrusion trials on pilot scale equipment to process EVOH in the form of film or cast samples
• Execute manual or coordinate automatic form, seal, and fill packaging to test the performance of the elucidated prototypes. Interpretation of results regarding oxygen and moisture barrier, mechanical properties, and sealing curves.
• Generate application data, technical reports, and training materials for customers and internal stakeholders.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration Travel (30-40%) to customer and brand owner sites, conferences, and international meetings.
• Present technical findings, trial outcomes, and market insights to internal and external stakeholders.
• Lead projects through influence, collaborating with cross-functional multicultural teams including R&D, Sales, Marketing, and technical Teams to drive commercialization.
• Contribute to product innovation, circular economy, and sustainability initiatives.
• Use data analysis tools to evaluate product performance, market impact, and customer or brand owner ROI.

Benefits

• We offer a competitive compensation package that includes base pay and an annual incentive.
• Our employees benefit from a robust healthcare package that includes wellness reimbursements, along with generous perks such as three weeks of paid time off, ten company holidays, paid parental leave, education reimbursement, and a matching 401k plan, among other offerings.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees