Technical Expert Market Decorative Coatings Americas

Evonik•Allentown, PA

About The Position

This role provides technical representation for the Decorative Coatings market segment in North America and serves as a primary interface with the market and customers. The position supports technical collaboration through on-site visits and virtual tools, identifies opportunities for joint development, and serves as Global ART Lead for one designated Global Key Account and one large Regional Champion Account. It monitors market trends, customer needs, competitive activity, and portfolio gaps, translating insights into ideas for new product and process development. The role actively supports or leads innovation projects and helps drive successful product launches. The position represents Business Line CAD and the Decorative Coatings Market Segment as a technical expert, serving customers across applications including Architectural Coatings, Pigment Concentrates, Wood Coatings, Flooring, and other Decorative Coatings applications as needed. It collaborates with customers and internal teams across North America and the global organization, supports customer technical issues and quality assessments, and helps build and share technical expertise. The role also contributes to safety, environmental, health, and quality requirements at the Allentown site and across the North American region.

Requirements

A master's or Ph.D. degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related science is required.
Approximately 5 years of experience in the chemical industry supporting customers and developing new additives or resins used in coatings applications is required.
Approximately 5 years of experience managing new product development projects and supervising the technical work of others is required.
A solid understanding of chemical structure-property relationships that determine the performance of surfactants, dispersants, and other additives is required.
A strong understanding of which additives to recommend to solve specific problems or achieve desired effects is required.
Experience providing technical support and training to customers and distributors is required.
Experience managing internal R&D, Applied Technology, Marketing, and Sales stakeholders is required.
Strong leadership and project management skills to build support for, plan, organize, and execute projects and strategies are required.
Strong teamwork and interpersonal skills to work effectively across regions, functions, and business lines are required.
Ability to operate effectively within a complex matrixed organization with multiple stakeholders is required.
Fluency in English and strong verbal and written communication skills are required.

Responsibilities

Serve as a primary technical contact for Decorative Coatings customers in North America, including Architectural Coatings customers and other relevant applications.
Demonstrate innovation and technical service competence to customers.
Collaborate with customers through on-site visits, conference presentations, events, seminars, and virtual engagements across North America.
Represent Business Line CAD and the Decorative Coatings Market Segment as a technical expert and primary point of contact for technical inquiries.
Identify opportunities for TSRs.
Collaborate with the regional ART Head, lab teams, Quality Control, and Complaint Management to resolve customer complaints and identify technical solutions.
Implement product and process development ideas through I2P projects in partnership with the regional ART Head, RD&I, other Market Segments, and Product Lines.
Identify work to support new product development projects and supervise scientists and/or technicians carrying out that work; file patent applications as appropriate.
Follow up with North American customers to understand experimental product performance in their formulations.
Document and statistically validate experimental results with internal and external stakeholders in alignment with the team manager and lab team.
Prepare publications and promotional materials with marketing as needed, including factsheets, articles, launch presentations, and COATINO® campus content.
Participate actively on the Americas Decorative Coatings Market Segment Team and ensure alignment with global and regional strategies.
Execute market-oriented applications development and innovation activities, supporting market sub-segments as needed.
Monitor market trends, competitive activities, and technology developments, and recommend benchmarking initiatives.
Translate customer and market needs into ideas for innovative product and process development projects.
Participate in and, when appropriate, lead internal expert committees, such as the Center of Excellence for Architectural Coatings; expand technical expertise and share information globally, including through internal training.
Transfer knowledge about additives and formulations to colleagues.
Comply with North American regional and Allentown site EHSQ measures and requirements.
Support team managers and scientists in creating and writing Safe Work Practices and Class A and B Design Hazard Reviews by participating in safety assessments and DHR teams for supervised projects.
Ensure hazards and regulatory compliance for materials and processes are assessed and communicated.
Serve on an Allentown site Safety@Evonik subcommittee and develop and deliver safety meeting materials.
Update technical data sheets and product information on the Coating Additives website.
Lead product quality assessments when required for product quality complaints or to qualify samples before production changes, supervising a Scientist in any required laboratory evaluations.