Strategic Market Manager, North America

Ashland Inc.

About The Position

Ashland Specialty Ingredients is hiring a Strategic Regional Marketing Manager for its Ashland Life Sciences business. This visible, significant role is responsible for developing and executing strategic marketing plans for North America, aligned with regional and global business objectives. The position reports to the Head of Strategic Accounts and Market Development. The manager develops market segmentation strategies and value propositions, researches customer needs and market opportunities, and monitors industry, regulatory, customer, and competitive developments. The role partners with research and development, innovation, product management, sales leadership, and account teams to support product development, commercialization, launches, and strategic growth platforms. It also supports strategic customer engagement and executive-level business reviews, while contributing to organizational performance, safety, collaboration, and capability building. Ashland describes a dynamic and challenging work environment, competitive salary and benefits, pay-for-performance incentive plans, and opportunities for development and advancement across its global organization. The company emphasizes integrity, honesty, employee engagement, and equal opportunity.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Life Sciences, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related field.
3–5 years of progressive experience in strategic marketing, product management, market development, or commercial strategy.
Experience within life sciences, specialty chemicals, pharmaceutical ingredients, nutraceuticals, personal care ingredients, or related B2B industries.
Strong experience conducting market analysis and developing growth strategies.
Demonstrated success leading cross-functional initiatives and influencing stakeholders.
Excellent analytical, communication, presentation, and project management skills.
Ability to travel up to 30%.

Nice To Haves

MBA or advanced degree in business, marketing, or a scientific discipline.
Experience supporting North American markets across multiple customer segments.
Familiarity with stage-gate innovation processes and new product commercialization.
Experience working within a global matrix organization.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute North American strategic marketing plans aligned with regional and global business objectives.
Develop market segmentation strategies and value propositions for target customer groups.
Identify market trends, customer needs, competitive threats, and emerging opportunities to drive sustainable growth.
Monitor industry trends, regulatory developments, customer dynamics, and competitive activity.
Conduct market research and voice-of-customer initiatives to identify unmet customer needs and emerging market opportunities.
Partner with R&D, innovation, and product management teams to support new product development and commercialization.
Lead go-to-market planning for new product launches and strategic growth platforms.
Collaborate with sales leadership and account teams to align strategic marketing initiatives with commercial execution.
Generate market-facing tools, customer insights, and growth strategies that enable sales effectiveness.
Support strategic customer engagement and executive-level business reviews.
Contribute to organizational goals by taking initiative, executing on goals, and focusing on performance and safety.
Build collaborative relationships, optimize diverse talent, and use positive communication and influence to improve organizational capacity and capabilities.
Demonstrate responsible and ethical behavior.
Help the company drive greater value by understanding the business, making complex decisions, and creating new and different approaches.