Product Scientist

This company is a global leader in producing foundry chemicals and high-performance phenolic resins. They provide products for the foundry industry and industrial resins for various applications. They also focus on sustainable solutions for foundry, fertilizer, and additive manufacturing. Operating in 22 countries, they employ around 1,700 people worldwide.

Key Responsibilities

• Product Management:

  • Manage the Industrial Resins product line life cycle from strategic planning to tactical R&D activities while meeting profitability expectations.
  • Solve complex technical problems and conduct laboratory experiments.
  • Lead assigned projects and execute project plans rigorously, ensuring key milestones are met timely.
  • Assist in developing project/program objectives, action plans, budgets, and timelines.

• Innovation and Development:

  • Identify, develop, and commercialize new product/process technologies that significantly contribute to revenue and profit.
  • Display proactive behavior in safety, mentoring, and developing solutions to technical problems.
  • Collaborate effectively with other functional groups and external contributors and specialists.

• Market Research and Reporting:

  • Specify market requirements for current and future products by conducting market research and visiting customers and non-customers.
  • Provide input for monthly reporting to Business Line Managers, highlighting product line performance, including profit & loss analysis and technical needs.
  • Responsible for input on product line pricing and determining customer value.

• Competitive Analysis and Sales Support:

  • Oversee the evaluation of competitive products and drive programs to maintain technical leadership in the market.
  • Support the sales force in developing customer relations, promoting new and existing products, and identifying customer needs and KPIs to turn them into business and growth opportunities.
  • Evaluate data on sales volume, profitability, and market share, and develop related reports with recommendations for continuous improvement.

• Continuous Improvement:

  • Participate in continuous improvement efforts in safety, quality, environmental, health, safety, security, and productivity.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with reactor operations.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Biology, Chemistry, Marketing, or related field; equivalent experience may be substituted.
• Understanding of resin properties impacting customer processes.
• Knowledge of structure-property relationships.
• Problem-solving skills using various tools, Mini Tab or other statistical programs, Excel, PowerPoint.
• Ability to interpret complex data and communicate it effectively to internal and external customers.

Qualifications and Experience

• 5 years of experience working in Industrial Resins for friction, coated abrasives, and refractories.
• Experience synthesizing liquid and solid phenolic resins.
• Experience in manufacturing or lab environment preferred.
• Knowledge of metal-casting process technologies.
• Knowledge of manufacturing/marketing operations.
• Strong business acumen and financial results-driven.
• High attention to detail.
• Ability to work cohesively in a team.
• Must be a self-starter working with minimum instructions.
• Travel to plants and customers ( 25%).