Material Conversion R&D Leader

Owens Corning • West Chicago, IL

6d

About The Position

The Material Conversion R&D Leader provides technical and people leadership for material‑to‑process conversion within Doors R&D. This role is accountable for translating material concepts into scalable, manufacturable processes for interior and exterior door systems. Success requires strong critical thinking, engineering judgment, and structured problem‑solving to navigate ambiguity, evaluate trade‑offs, and make sound decisions that balance performance, cost, risk, and manufacturability.

The Material Conversion R&D Leader leads the material conversion capability within the Material and Process Innovation (MPI) organization, owning technical direction and execution across material‑to‑process development programs. This role bridges materials science, process development, and manufacturing execution to ensure new materials and processes are industrialized successfully.
The position leads a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers and serves as a senior technical authority for material conversion decisions. The leader partners closely with Product Engineering, Tooling, Operations, Quality, and Supply Chain to ensure solutions are developed with a clear understanding of manufacturing constraints, scalability, and long‑term robustness.
Operating in a technically complex and ambiguous environment, the role applies scientific rigor and critical thinking to evaluate incomplete data, manage technical risk, and guide teams from concept through pilot validation and manufacturing scale‑up. The position balances near‑term business needs with longer‑term innovation while ensuring solutions can be effectively transferred to operations.

Requirements

• Demonstrated depth in material conversion and manufacturing systems, with the ability to understand how materials, equipment, automation, and plant systems interact as an integrated whole.
• Strong aptitude for systems‑level thinking, enabling evaluation of process behavior, variability, and constraints across pilot and manufacturing environments.
• Solid working knowledge of manufacturing fundamentals, process control concepts, and operational standards necessary to support stable, repeatable, and safe production.
• Advanced critical thinking and engineering judgment, with the ability to synthesize technical data, operational considerations, and business constraints to make sound decisions in ambiguous situations.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, including the ability to challenge assumptions, assess risk, and determine practical paths forward when information is incomplete.
• Effective communication and influence skills to convey complex technical concepts clearly and align stakeholders.
• Demonstrated leadership maturity, learning agility, and a safety‑first mindset, with the resilience required to operate in dynamic, high‑accountability environments.
• 5+ years of industrial experience in Research & Development, process development, and/or manufacturing environments, including demonstrated experience in pilot‑scale development, manufacturing scale‑up, and cross‑functional technical leadership.
• Prior experience leading technical teams or serving as a technical decision maker in complex manufacturing systems is required.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) preferred and may substitute for a portion of relevant experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Material Conversion R&D team, setting clear technical direction, expectations, and priorities aligned with Doors R&D.
• Build team capability by coaching and mentoring scientists and engineers in process fundamentals, system‑level thinking, automation awareness, and structured problem‑solving, creating a strong pipeline of technical leaders.
• Lead material conversion programs and portfolios through the team, ensuring alignment of people, resources, timelines, and deliverables to achieve program objectives.
• Own end‑to‑end material conversion program execution, from concept through pilot validation and manufacturing handoff.
• Establish technical direction for process architectures, equipment platforms, and automation strategies, ensuring scalability, robustness, and long‑term manufacturability.
• Apply engineering judgment and critical thinking to guide teams in evaluating throughput, capacity, cycle time, yield, uptime, quality, cost, safety, and sustainability trade‑offs.
• Provide senior technical leadership for manufacturing systems involving automation and mechanical equipment, including pumps, drives, gear systems, material handling, controls, utilities, and supporting infrastructure required to deliver a complete operational process.
• Partner with Business, Operations, Tooling, Automation, Controls, Maintenance, Quality, and EHS teams to ensure programs are designed for real‑world manufacturing conditions, operator interaction, maintainability, and lifecycle cost.
• Lead scale‑up from lab to pilot to manufacturing by guiding teams in defining process windows, operating envelopes, control strategies, start‑up/shutdown conditions, and readiness criteria.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate technical and operational risks across programs related to equipment capability, process robustness, automation reliability, material variability, and plant integration.
• Guide pilot‑scale and manufacturing trials, ensuring teams generate high‑quality, decision‑ready data that supports qualification, scale‑up decisions, and long‑term process control.
• Ensure material conversion processes meet safety, environmental, and regulatory requirements, embedding hazard analysis, risk assessment, and safe‑by‑design principles throughout development.
• Oversee development and implementation of SOPs, work instructions, and process documentation, ensuring safe operation, training effectiveness, and successful technology transfer.
• Collaborate with Quality and Operations to define critical process parameters, control plans, monitoring strategies, and response plans that ensure consistent product performance.
• Drive disciplined program execution using structured project management practices, including scope definition, milestones, stage‑gates, risk reviews, and deliverables.
• Serve as a senior technical escalation point, supporting teams in resolving complex process, equipment, automation, and operational readiness challenges.
• Promote a strong safety culture and ensure compliance with Owens Corning safety, quality, and environmental standards across all team and program activities.

Benefits

• insurance (medical/dental/vision/life/disability/supplemental offerings)
• 401k (company contribution regardless of employee participation – plus match)
• paid time off that considers full professional tenure (vacation, personal floating and standard holidays)
• Employee Assistance Services
• Stock Purchase Program

What This Job Offers

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