Well established small company, award winning collaborative culture, many long term team members
Newly-created role
Develop innovative polymer-based materials for coated textile applications - keep the innovation pipeline full
Be THE go-to person for next-gen product development: broad, cross-disciplinary role with tremendous opportunity to leverage current technology base for future expansion into new markets
Succession planning role - outstanding long term career path to become the company expert and ultimately lead the technical team
What You'll Do
Maintain current knowledge of emerging technologies and opportunities for the Company to develop new innovative materials and processes that align with future applications and market opportunities of interest
Directly lead development of market-focused next-gen and brand-new products including generating IP: keep the Company leaning forward to solve problems customers may not have even fully articulated
Manage technicians and work hands-on in the lab - this is NOT a remote role
Work closely with Operations and Engineering: develop strong internal relationships at all levels to facilitate getting line time for new product trials, understand operator challenges to optimize manufacturability, support Process Engineering team with material or formulation adjustments etc.
Educate and support the Sales team in understanding the key benefits of new products, to ensure successful commercialization
Analyze existing product performance, characterize materials - be the expert in existing product lines
Write technical papers, give presentations at industry conferences and technical events to promote the Company's innovation leadership
Interface with customers for product testing/trials and technical support, to ensure the correct product selection with the right characteristics for a given application.
The Profile
Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Polymer Science, Polymer Engineering or similar relevant discipline is REQUIRED. Advanced degree very helpful.
5+ years industrial (i.e. non academic) experience formulating polymer-based products, including coatings technology and formulation is REQUIRED
Meaningful cross-disciplinary experience spanning product and process development: you enjoy the lab but are also comfortable supporting production
Solid understanding of structure-property relationships specific to the interaction between materials, with proven practical application in real-world problem solving and product development/innovation. This is REQUIRED. Direct experience with composites and/or laminated materials very helpful
Excellent analytical and material characterization skills including statistical analysis, failure analysis etc. - you can get to the root cause of a problem and also offer solutions
Practical problem solving and results orientation - you like to focus on outcomes, not on process for its own sake
Good communications, public speaking and presentation skills - you're comfortable presenting to audiences of varying technical knowledge and can communicate at all levels internally and externally
Good EQ and diplomatic skills - you know how to get things done, how to influence and collaborate without a direct line of authority
Good sense of humor and manageable ego are firm requirements!
Willing to live/relocate to the York, PA area and travel 10-20%