Product Development Specialist, Americas
UPM - The Biofore Company•Mills River, NC
•Onsite
About The Position
Innovation and New Product Development is core to UPM Adhesive Materials’ strategy and competitiveness in a rapidly evolving world. Our Product Development & Innovation team is crucial to developing advanced technologies and enabling us to meet and exceed customer expectations and deliver the next generation of adhesive materials. We are excited to welcome you to our team, joining us in making a significant impact in this exciting journey and shaping the future together!
Requirements
- B.S. in polymer science or related field with advanced degree preferred
- Proven formulation experience with pressure sensitive adhesives as well as understanding of manufacturing and conversion processes, with experience in water-based adhesive formulation
- Extensive knowledge of polymer characterization, viscoelasticity, polymer morphology, and structure-property relationships (including rheology, spectroscopy, thermal analyses such as DSC & DMA, etc.)
- Experienced in product development in chemical, packaging, or adjacent industries, with experience using new product development methodologies and leading large-scale projects (e.g. Stage Gate, DFSS, etc.)
- Ability to convert market needs into technical “critical to quality” product attributes, and develop these “CTQs” into product development roadmap
- A proactive and engaging team player, leveraging a cross-functional Innovation team across a regional and global network
Responsibilities
- Develop and implement new adhesive technologies across water‑based and hot‑melt systems, ensuring technical readiness for market needs
- Support innovation and growth projects via utilization of the Stage Gate methodology, driving the implementation of novel adhesive technologies from concept to launch
- Coordinate with commercial and operations teams to identify, qualify, and commercialize new products to deliver both short-term and long-term business results
- Engage with manufacturing teams and support required analytical work to quantify and define product specifications
- Maintain and update a long‑term roadmap for adhesive and labeling technologies, aligning with business strategy and capability development
- Collaborate within a regional and global network of technical experts to scale UPM’s adhesive and coating competence and share best practices
- Partner with regional market organization to effectively translate market needs into technical solutions for labeling applications
- Provide expert guidance on adhesive formulation approaches, testing methods, and performance optimization across applications and end uses within the consumer and specialty market segments
- Drive efficiency between market segments by identifying shared technology needs, overlapping opportunities, and cross‑application solutions
- Advance the implementation of novel paper face stocks for adhesive laminates across consumer and specialty segments and ensure strong alignment during qualification and launch
Benefits
- medical, dental and vision insurance
- paid time off
- a 401(k)-retirement plan
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
