Technical Leader - Plastics

Responsibilities

As the Technical Service / Application Development (TS/AD) Technical Leader, you will serve as the primary technical lead supporting regional and global strategic marketing initiatives for Eastman’s Specialty Plastics business, with a strong focus on Injection-Molded applications for Cosmetic Packaging and Durables. You will build and sustain deep technical relationships across the value chain – including OEMs, brand owners, molders, converters etc. – to execute market-driven innovation launch, protect current business and identify growth opportunities. This role requires strong technical competencies on both applications understanding, as well as process / injection molding expertise. This role is located onsite at our Kingsport, TN headquarters. 

 

Responsibilities include leading launch-phase customer projects, engaging with value chain customers, influencing internal and external key stakeholders, delivering world class technical support and on-site consultation, collaborate with cross-function team (including sales, marketing, R&D, product management, quality etc.), conducting customer seminars and conference presentations, as well as translating customer insights into actionable development or commercialization opportunities that help achieve business growth goals.

 

Job Duties/Responsibilities:

• Lead launch-phase projects and technical initiatives to enable market activation and campaigns, including validations and qualifications through field trials.
• Engage proactively with value‑chain customers (e.g. converter, OEMs, brands etc.) to drive solution adoptions while identifying application drivers, unmet needs, and new business opportunities; maintain strong relationship with existing customers industry contacts to enhance collaboration.
• Support opportunity management processes that prioritize, track, and drive opportunities to align with business strategy (new business, protect, & grow opportunities); uses consultative selling skills to effectively communicate & capture value to execute commercialization.
• Collaborate closely with Sales, Marketing, R&D, Product Management, and Manufacturing to translate customer needs in durable and cosmetic packaging applications into differentiated polymer and application solutions.
• Serve as the technical authority on injection molding processes and guide junior team members to provide world‑class technical support for high‑complexity issues, ensuring timely resolution and sustained customer satisfaction; lead troubleshooting including failure analysis, process optimization and implementation support.
• Design, execute, and interpret application and validation trials (bench, pilot, and field) and translate results into scalable recommendations and specification changes.
• Conduct customer training, seminars and conference presentations to demonstrate value propositions technically by educating the industry on polymer science and deepening relationships with key accounts.
• Translate customer feedback and market trends into prioritized development opportunities; partner with R&D to advance concepts.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation and tools — including test methods, failure‑mode playbooks, technical reports, publications, and application guides — to institutionalize knowledge and accelerate response times.
• Mentor and coach Technology and Business colleagues to raise technic