Technical Manager, Applied Research & Technology – Decorative Coatings

Evonik•Allentown, PA

About The Position

Explore a world of opportunities with us. Look ahead with us and help shape innovative solutions to make our world more sustainable and life healthier, more vibrant and more comfortable. At Evonik, you have the chance to explore, thrive, and grow alongside 33,000 colleagues. Among attractive career paths and high-quality development programs, we not only offer performance-based remuneration and occupational health benefits but also flexible working environments with #SmartWork. Bring your fresh perspective, develop your strengths, break out your mold, and find a career that fits your dreams with us. Click on the link below to learn what our employees have to say about Evonik: https ://careers.evonik.com/en/about/meet-the-team/ Explore chemistry that transforms surfaces. The Technical Manager role provides technical representation for the Decorative Coatings market segment in the Americas, acting as a primary interface with the market and to customers. In this role, you’ll provide effective technical collaboration with customers in Decorative Coatings by providing optimal support through visits or via virtual tools, and identifying joint areas and topics for further development while monitoring short-, medium-, and long-term market trends, customer needs and portfolio gaps in Decorative Coatings and translating these insights into ideas for new product development. You’ll support or lead innovation projects and ensure successful product launches in the market.

Requirements

Education: A M.S. or Ph.D. degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related Science is required.
Skills/Training: A deep knowledge of either coatings applications or additives for coatings is required (having both is preferred).
Must have a strong understanding of the chemical structure-property relationships that determine why certain surfactants, dispersants, and other additives work as they do; a good grasp of which additives to recommend to solve specific problems or achieve desired effects
Experience providing technical support and training to customers and distributors and managing internal (R&D, Applied Technology, Marketing, Sales) stakeholders is required.
Strong leadership & project managerial skills to build support for, plan, organize and execute projects and strategies are required.
Strong teamwork & excellent interpersonal skills to work effectively across regions, functions, and business lines are required.
The ability to operate effectively within a complex matrixed organization with multiple stakeholders is required.
Fluency in English as well as strong verbal and written communication skills are required.
Experience : 4 years+ experience in the Chemical Industry supporting coatings customers and coating products and/or additives through applications testing
A minimum of 2 years’ experience managing new product development projects and at least 1 years’ experience supervising the technical work of others is required.

Responsibilities

Responsible for building and sustaining world class technical support for the Decorative Coatings Market Segment in the Americas by: Demonstrating innovation and technical service competence to customers, serving as the primary technical contact to designated customers in North America, proficiently serving Architectural, Wood, and Floor Coatings, Pigment Concentrates and other Decorative Coatings customers whenever necessary Collaborating closely with the market and customers in all Decorative Coatings applications through on-site visits, conference presentations, events and seminars, and virtual engagements across North America Representing Business Line CAD and Market Segment Decorative Coatings as a technical expert Identifying opportunities for Technical Service projects (TSRs) Collaborating with regional ART Head, lab teams, Quality Control, and Complaint Management to resolve customer complaints and identify optimal technical solutions
Responsible for implementing projects and IP strategies for the Decorative Coatings market segment and continuously advancing the MS DECO product and technology portfolio and internal expertise by: Implementing innovative ideas for product and process development through new product development projects in partnership with regional ART head, as well as RD&I, other Market Segments and Product Lines Identifying appropriate work to support new product development projects and supervising scientists and/or technicians on the team to execute that work; filing patent applications as appropriate Following up with customers in North America to understand performance of experimental products in their formulations Documenting and validating experimental results in alignment with the lab team, evaluating and discussing findings with internal and external stakeholders, and preparing publications and promotional material jointly with marketing when required, e.g. factsheets, articles, launch presentations, COATINO® campus content
Support the development of and responsible for the execution of market segment strategies and targets by: Actively participating on the Americas Decorative Coatings Market Segment Team Ensuring alignment with global and regional strategies Efficiently executing all market-oriented applications development and innovation activities, supporting all market sub-segments as needed Monitoring market trends, competitive activities, and technology developments, and recommending benchmarking initiatives through ART and RD&I laboratories Translating customer and market needs into innovative ideas for new product and process development projects
Responsible for continuously advancing the MS DECO product and expertise portfolio by: Participating in and, when appropriate, leading internal expert committees, e.g. a Center of Excellence, driving the expansion of technical expertise in this field and sharing these within the global organization, e.g. by supporting internal trainings Proactively transferring knowledge on additive and formulation technology used in Decorative Coatings to colleagues
Serve as a Leader in Safety by: Complying with all North American regional and Allentown site EHSQ (Environmental, Health, Safety & Quality) measures and requirements Supporting Senior Scientists and Scientists in creating and writing Safe Work Practices (SWPs) and Class A & B Design Hazard Reviews (DHRs) by actively participating in safety assessments and DHR teams related to supervised projects Ensuring all hazards and regulatory compliances of materials and processes are assessed and communicated. Actively serving on one Allentown site Safety@Evonik subcommittee Developing and delivering safety meeting material.