Global R&D Director High Performance Flooring & Functional Powder

The Global R&D Director for High Performance Flooring and Functional Powder Coatings is a member of the Global Protective & Marine R&D technology leadership team and is responsible for leading the Flooring and Powder Functional R&D teams in Minneapolis MN, East Hartford CT, Bolton UK, Thouars France, and Shanghai China. 

 

The Global Technical Director will be responsible for leading the company’s technical strategies, research, and development activities focused on protective powder and high-performance floor coatings. This role involves overseeing global product development, formulation, scale-ups, and connectivity between global labs to ensure the delivery of innovative, high-performance coating solutions. The director will collaborate with cross-functional teams, including R&D, marketing, manufacturing, and sales, to drive the growth of the product portfolio and meet the demands of key global markets for Protective and Marine.

 

Job duties include contact with other employees and access confidential and proprietary information and/or other items of value, and such access may be supervised or unsupervised. The Company therefore has determined that a review of criminal history is necessary to protect the business and its operations and reputation and is necessary to protect the safety of the Company’s staff, employees, and business relationships.

 

1.    Technical Leadership:

• Lead and manage a global team of technical experts, ensuring effective collaboration and the development of cutting-edge solutions in functional powder and floor coatings.
• Establish and drive the technical vision and strategy for functional and flooring coatings, focusing on performance, market needs, technology gaps, innovation, and sustainability.
• Oversee product development and formulation of protective and floor coatings to meet industry standards, customer requirements, and regulatory compliance.

 

    2.    Research and Development:

• Direct R&D efforts for new coating technologies, focusing on enhancing performance properties, the Global Core, and regional market needs.
• Collaborate with external research institutions, universities, and industry groups to stay abreast of technological advancements.
• Work with marketing teams and regional leadership, to develop a robust pipeline for new products and continuously evaluate existing products to identify areas for improvement.
• Drives and captures intellectual property developments 

 

    3.    Global Market Expansion:

• Work closely with the sales, marketing, and business development teams to align technical strategies with market needs and global trends.
• Provide technical expertise to support global market expansion efforts, customizing products for regional requirements.
• Support the development of technical marketing collateral and training materials for internal teams and customers.

 

    4.    Customer and Stakeholder Engagement:

• Act as the primary technical liaison with key customers, ensuring their needs are met and offering innovative solutions to their coating challenges.
• Provide technical consultation and support to clients and distributors, particularly on complex or high-value projects.
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including suppliers, customers, regulatory bodies, and industry experts.

 

    5.    Quality and Compliance:

• Ensure all products comply with relevant industry standards, environmental regulations, and safety protocols.
• Oversee the implementation of best practices in testing, quality assurance, and quality control processes across global manufacturing facilities.
• Monitor and drive the continuous improvement of product quality and manufacturing efficiency.

 

    6.    Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Collaborate with global manufacturing and operations teams to streamline production processes, reduce costs, and improve product quality.
• Work closely with sales and marketing teams to deliver technical support for product launches and ongoing customer satisfaction.
• Ensure alignment of technical strategies with business objectives and global expansion initiatives.
  • Leads, develops and shapes a market and customer centric workplace culture for innovative solutions, execution excellence and continuous improvement. 

 

7. Talent Management 

• Holds the technical management teams accountable for implementing and achieving technology, product development, and service-related goals and objectives. 
• Leads the integrated talent management activities to attract, develop, pr