R&D Technical Lead

Mativ•Middletown, DE

About The Position

The R&D Technical Lead is responsible for the technical development of the Naltex and Delnet product lines, including investigating, planning, and executing process and product development projects. Naltex is Mativ’s brand for diamond-pattern netting, and Delnet is its brand for apertured films. The role serves as the primary technical contact for these products and maintains and further develops the product segment. It works with customers, marketing, sales, engineering, operations, and production teams to develop, modify, qualify, and commercialize products and manufacturing processes. The position reports directly to the Nettings R&D Director and is based in Middletown, Delaware, with travel of up to 30% domestically and infrequent international travel.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science in Engineering; chemical, polymer/plastics, or mechanical engineering is preferred.
5–10 years of manufacturing or R&D experience.
Ability to travel up to 30% domestically and infrequently internationally.
Project management experience.
Experience working in a 24/7 manufacturing process environment.
Knowledge of experimental methods such as correlation analysis and design of experiments (DOE).
Leadership and team mentoring skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience in polymer extrusion, web handling, slitting, and winding of rolled media.
Experience with statistical software tools such as Minitab.
Hands-on plastics extrusion or processing experience, or continuous process experience.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary point of contact for technical questions about Naltex and Delnet products.
Maintain and further develop the Naltex and Delnet product segment.
Work with customers, marketing, and sales to develop and modify products, then commercialize them through transition to engineering and operations personnel at manufacturing sites.
Direct R&D and Process Team support team members to assist with project completion.
Conduct and document installation qualification (IQ), operations qualification (OQ), and process qualification (PQ) of process machinery and equipment.
Develop and implement systems to optimize production processes.
Produce standard work instructions and process flow diagrams for new products in compliance with ISO 9001 guidelines.
Collaborate with production and engineering teams to ensure satisfactory project design and implementation.
Provide process and troubleshooting support as needed.
Present information to align stakeholders on process development and problem-solving work.
Recommend functional product improvements, including lightweighting, new packaging designs, and performance improvements.
Partner with customers and sales to improve existing products and commercialize new products.
Conduct trials to evaluate and qualify new production processes.
Research, design, and evaluate materials, assemblies, processes, and equipment.
Work on several design efforts in parallel and monitor project metrics and objectives to ensure goals are met.
Document all phases of research and development and support other R&D teams working on projects.
Define standard operating conditions (SOC) and materials for new products.
Identify alternate material sources in the bill of materials (BOM) to reduce costs and qualify suppliers.
Research and present options for purchasing new manufacturing technology.
Create ERP items for new products.