Sr. Specialist -Technical Service

Westlake•Plaquemine, LA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Westlake Management Services Inc. in Plaquemine, LA seeks a Specialist Sr. - Technical Service. This role supports PVC resin sales efforts by providing technical service to customers, internal stakeholders, and other departments. The position involves investigating problems, recommending solutions, assisting with non-conforming products, improving existing products, and enhancing product processing at customer sites. The Specialist will act as a technical contact for U.S. produced suspension PVC, drive product quality improvements and testing, oversee customer processing, manage customer training on manufacturing processes, and handle customer complaints related to Technical Services. Additionally, the role involves developing customer specifications with Manufacturing, coordinating testing, interpreting data from lab equipment, preparing and conducting technical training, and representing Westlake in industry associations. The Specialist will also prepare reports, organize and evaluate projects, stay updated on new technologies and regulatory requirements, and work on new product development and specialty applications, including optimizing plant processes and managing teams for changes.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, Polymer Science, or Material Science.
120 months of experience in a chemical manufacturing facility.
Experience making decisions that directly affect product quality and customer utilization of the product.
Experience dealing with customers to solve complex chemical and product problems.
Experience working with PVC Production, Quality Control, Technical Service, Resin Development field, or PVC Applications.
At least 12 months of experience in the design, synthesis, and characterization of additives for polyvinyl chloride (PVC), especially plasticizers & stabilizers.
Any knowledge of intellectual property rights and navigation of patent-related challenges in a professional setting.

Responsibilities

Support PVC resin sales efforts through providing technical service to customers, both internal and external, and to other stakeholders such as Sales Team, Customer Service, Manufacturing, Product Managers, Logistics, etc.
Investigate problems and recommend solutions.
Assist in placing of non-conforming products.
Assist in improving existing products and improve processing of products at customer accounts.
Act as a technical contact for all U.S. produced suspension PVC.
Drive improvement of quality of products and testing of products.
Oversight of customer processing of products downstream, including customer trials.
Ownership of customer training on manufacturing processes.
Process, investigate, and ensure resolution of customer complaints that involve Tech Services.
Drive the development of customer specifications with Manufacturing.
Coordinate or conduct analytical, physical property, and process testing.
Understand, run, and interpret data from all lab and processing equipment.
Prepare and conduct technical training for Westlake Sales Representatives and Strategic Customers.
Participate and represent Westlake’s interest in industry trade and technical associations such as PPI, NSF, ASTM, and VI.
Prepare “White Paper” reports for industry associations.
Organize, conduct, evaluate and communicate results of projects.
Keep abreast of new technologies.
Understand regulatory requirements and restrictions.
Work on new product development and specialty applications.
Develop advanced organic and inorganic additives, optimize plant processes, and manage the teams to accommodate the changes.
Perform other duties as assigned.