R&D - Sr. Group Leader Raw Materials

This position is responsible for leading the formulation and replacement of key raw materials, including polymers, in existing paint and coating products, in alignment with preferred raw material and/or polymer strategies. The individual will have opportunities to gain experience in architectural and industrial coating technologies, demonstrate leadership, and generate an enterprise-wide impact by supporting raw material and polymer platform implementation. This role is instrumental for enhancing cross-functional collaboration across all SW businesses to strengthen alignment, communication, and delivery of important platform initiatives that reduce complexity and risk and drive a greater return on sales and customer experience. Provides technical direction, leadership, and supervision to a team of technicians.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS 

 

This position is responsible for leading the formulation and replacement of key raw materials, including polymers, in existing paint and coating products, in alignment with preferred raw material and/or polymer strategies. The individual will have opportunities to gain experience in architectural and industrial coating technologies, demonstrate leadership, and generate an enterprise-wide impact by supporting raw material and polymer platform implementation. This role is instrumental for enhancing cross-functional collaboration across all SW businesses to strengthen alignment, communication, and delivery of important platform initiatives that reduce complexity and risk and drive a greater return on sales and customer experience. Provides technical direction, leadership, and supervision to a team of technicians.

 

Execute Platform Strategy Initiative through Formulation

1. Utilize paint formulation knowledge/expertise to design and perform paint/coating formulation for alignment with preferred raw material (RM) and polymer platform strategies.
2. Perform paint/coating application, performance evaluation and data analysis, and provide data-driven recommendations.
3. Leading high visibility projects to support the platform and regulatory strategy.
4. Leading a project team of multiple technical employees. 
5. Deliver preferred RM/polymer aligned formulations realizing product-specific performance targets to appropriate business unit R&D for further optimization (if necessary) and implementation.
6. Provide additional technical support as needed for other key platform team initiatives
7. Spend time conducting lab bench work

 

Cross-Functional Collaboration

1. Collaborate with Raw Material and Polymer platform leads, business unit R&D and marketing, analytical and material science, color teams, operations, and procurement to deliver key initiatives.
2. Bolster cross-functional collaboration, knowledge and strategy sharing to foster business unit support of platform team strategies.
3. Leads project related meetings with stakeholders spanning a variety of levels, from technician to senior vice president and team meetings.
4. Prepare and deliver technical reports and presentations to peer groups and leadership.
5. Communicates detailed ideas concisely through written communication, authors project plans and project updates, writes technical reports, and formulation data/knowledge transfer packages.

 

Leadership

1. Lead/manage multiple complex R&D projects concurrently to achieve agreed upon timelines.
2. Lead and mentor a project team of multiple technical employees and perform performance appraisals.
3. Clearly articulates formulation ideas, concepts, and strategies to appropriate stakeholders.

 

Employee and Team Development 

1. Grow and develop the Team professionally and technically by actively utilizing and engaging Professional Development Plans with all employees.
2. Effectively utilize delegation and stretch assignments to grow the Team’s technical leadership capacity.
3. Determine resources and allocation.
4. Facilitate open sharing of knowledge and ideas to promote employee engagement.
5. Conduct formal performance reviews and address performance concerns.

 

POSITION REQUIREMENTS 

 

FORMAL EDUCATION: 

Required: 

• BS/BA in Chemistry or Engineering, or a BS/BA degree in a science field with 2 semesters of General Chemistry and 2 semesters of Organic Chemistry

Preferred:

• M.S. or Ph.D. degree in Chemistry, Polymers Science, Chemical Engineering, Material Science, or another related field

 

KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE:

Required:

• Minimum of 5 years hands-on laboratory enviro